Battle Cry Trilogy Book One: Return of the Chosen
by surfgirl1
Summary: Edward was gone. Bella had nothing left to stay for in Forks, so she returned to her true life in England. As a young witch, her life is more complicated than most girls'. Not to mention she is one of the Chosen Ones. Important info inside. AU Xover.
1. Going Home

**Hi guys! Now, I am quite aware that this sort of story has been done before. I would just like to try my shot at it.**

**Summary: Edward was gone. Bella had nothing left to stay for in Forks, so she returned to her true life in England. As a young witch, her life is more complicated than most girls'. Not to mention she is one of the Chosen Ones.**

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Edward was changed at age sixteen instead of seventeen. Bella was sixteen, too. The coming of age for the Wizarding World is eighteen instead of seventeen. Twilight took place in their sophomore year, not junior. Bella was in Forks for 1 year, then Edward left.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series, or any of the direct (though un-cited) quotes I use in my story. **

**Chapter 1: Going Home**

"You…you don't want me?"

"No."

There was a short pause.

"Well that changes things. Goodbye, Edward." I closed my eyes, making sure not to let him see me cry.

There was a gust of wind, and he was gone.

* * *

_Dear Miss Isabella,_

_Due to a past event, we sent you to live with Renee Dwyer for two years in Phoenix and then Charlie Swan for a year in Forks, Washington. We have discussed our decision, and have decided that it is safe for you to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as you requested. __Your school supply list is located in this envelope, and a representative of the Order of the Phoenix will be here to pick you up at eight o'clock p.m. Please dispose of this letter after reading._

_Sincerely,_

_The Order of the Phoenix_

* * *

I was listening to my iPod, rocking out to the type of music I used to listen to before I met Edward. _In This Moment_ blasted through my speakers, and I bobbed my head along as I packed my trunk.

I only spared a short glance at the picture of me from a few weeks ago, standing in front of the tree in the backyard. Back then, I had been so reliant and trusting. I had realized now how stupid that was of me. After all, the person that I had devoted myself to entirely does not care about me at all.

I hauled my trunk down the stairs, wishing that I could use magic. I had lied about my birthday. My real birthday wasn't until July. However I had been at the sophomore level in the American schooling system, and Dumbledore had wanted to make sure I attracted as little attention as possible.

Once I got to the end of the staircase, I checked to make sure nothing had shifted. Everything was snuggly in place. Passing by the small mirror in the hallway, I noticed that I still looked like Bella Swan.

Being a metamorphagus was helpful. Swiftly, I returned to my original form. My form shrank slightly, and I could feel my bone structure rearranging itself. My hair shortened to shoulder length, and darkened to a pitch-black color. My locks became less thick, and straightened out. My eyes turned their normal extremely dark blue. I nodded in satisfaction.

A knock on the door alerted me to the arrival of my transportation. I opened the door eagerly, anxious to see anyone from the magical world.

I grinned at the sight of a nervous Remus Lupin, my godfather, standing on my doorstep, running his hand through his ash blond hair. When he saw me, his whole face lit up.

"Isabella!" he exclaimed, and pulled me into a firm hug. I reciprocated fully, happy to see him.

"Hello, Moony! I missed you. Come in!" I gestured through the door, and followed after him. He looked around in awe at the sight of the pictures of me I had to bring to make my story seem real. He laughed slightly at the sight of me covered in purple paint.

"Alright, stop laughing at me. Let's get going." He nodded, still chuckling, and pulled a small glass marble out of his pocket. He grabbed a hold of my trunk and whispered a few words. It disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Did you take care of the town?" I nodded. I had cast memory charms on everyone in Forks, including Charlie. I knew that he had volunteered to have me, but I thought it would make my absence easier if he never knew I had been here.

"Alright," Remus conceded, and grabbed my hand. There was a second flash of blue light, and we appeared on the top step of a rundown looking building. I followed Lupin inside of what I knew to be Twelve Grimmauld Place, HQ of the Order of the Phoenix.

The entry hall was decorated with fierce old portraits and somewhat frightening furniture, but this place was where I had spent a few of my summers, and always felt like a second home. I made sure to keep quiet, not quite wishing to wake up the sleeping painting of Mrs. Black.

Walking towards the dining room, I paused just out of sight. Remus gave me a reassuring smile, and gently pushed me inside.

All conversation stopped when I stepped inside. The man at the end of the table was slightly shabby looking, with longish black hair and a pale complexion. His wrists were still scared slightly from his time in prison. He slowly rose to his feet, staring at me in shock. I shuffled nervously.

Slowly, a grin spread across his worn face, and he walked towards me. "Isabella?" he whispered, and I nodded.

With a few tears in his eyes, he pulled me against his chest. "Hello, Bella."

"Hello, dad."

* * *

"Sirius, be realistic. The girl just got back from America, and hasn't had a chance to settle down yet. I know you have missed your daughter, but I think you should at least let her relax!" Mrs. Weasley scolded him gently, yet I could tell from the curve of her mouth that she was holding back a smile.

"I _know_, Molly, but I just want to show her around! I mean, I haven't seen her for three years! Ain't that right, Squirt?" He ruffled my hair, and I playfully scowled.

"Dad, stop it."

He laughed, and hugged me to his side once again. According to Moony, my dad had been extremely irritable most of the time I was away. Everyone was extremely happy to see him back to his old self, making jokes and bantering back and forth.

"Hey, Bella, why did you come home?" I could feel my good mood vanish, and the smile on my face disappeared.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, I just wanted to know! I'm extremely happy to see you, and I just was wondering. I didn't mean-" I covered his mouth with my hand.

"Its fine, dad. It's just…I don't really want to talk about it yet." I could feel everyone's curious stares boring into the top of my head, and I could feel myself blush slightly.

"Don't worry about it, Squirt. We'll talk about it only when you are ready. But for now, let's get you to bed. One more yawn like that and you'll break your jaw," he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

As I curled up into my bed that night, the emotions I had kept repressed came flooding back. It was very late when I fell asleep.

* * *

5 Page


	2. Dreamscape

**Chapter 2: Dreamscape**

_ I was flying through the forest. The darkness pushed in on me from all sides, and I felt a scream try to escape my throat. I quickly suppressed it. I could not be found._

_ The sound of rustling leaves behind me became louder, as my pursuers gained on me. I sped up on my broomstick, cursing the fact that all I could grab was a Comet Two Sixty instead of my Nimbus Two-Thousand. _

_ Suddenly, I heard the shout of "Immobili corpus!" and I fell to the ground, completely petrified. _

_ "I got her!" someone yelled, and soon I was surrounded by the sound of rustling cloaks dragging along the forest floor. _

_ "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Miss Black. I believe you have something that belongs to us."_

_ The one who spoke slowly leaned over me, reaching towards me. I tried with all my might to scream. _

_ "NO!" someone bellowed, and then I heard a bang. The Death Eater who had stood next to me fell across my body, knocking the wind from me. I stared into the wide-open eyes of the dead man who had petrified me, and screamed._

"Bella! Bella, wake up!" I shot up, gasping for air.

The pressure of the man's body pressing against my torso was still fresh in my mind, and I remembered the sight of his dead face. I only had a few seconds to dart out of bed and grab my trashcan before my dinner came back up.

Soothing hands held my hair back as I retched, and then helped me back to bed. I lay there sobbing, curled up into a ball. I rocked back and forth, remembering that day.

"Shh, shh, Bella, it's okay. It's over. Breathe." Slowly my heartbeat calmed down, and I felt a little color return to my face. I turned to look up into the dark worried eyes of my father.

I hugged him, and he held me, humming lightly in my ear.

I slowly drifted back to sleep, relaxing into the thought that my dad would be there to chase the nightmares away.

* * *

The next morning, Sirius and I sat together in the Family Tree room, staring at the many generations of Blacks. I smiled slightly at the sight of the burned off branch where my father used to be.

"Was it the same dream?" Dad asked after a while, and I nodded. For several months after the event, I had woken up from the same gruesome nightmare. It had scared my father so much that he had taken me to see a mind-healer. I could tell he was wondering what had happened in Forks that could have been so horrific as to bring them back.

I sighed. "When I went to Forks, I met this family. At first…" I recounted the entire tale to him, not pausing once. By the time I got to where Edward had left me, the tears were soundlessly rolling down my cheeks.

My dad hugged, me, and rocked me back and forth, like he used to do when I was a very little kid.

Everything was simpler back then.

* * *

It had been several months since I had arrived at Grimmauld Place, and the nightmares had not let up. As I did not want my father to worry, I placed a silencing charm around my room so that I didn't disturb him if I woke up screaming.

It was now summer, and I took off my heavier cloaks once again. While reading in the library, I heard a slight commotion down stairs. Then, I heard two excited voices shout, "WHAT?" I raised my eyebrows in confusion, and stood up to open the door.

Before I could even pull it open the whole way, the door was thrown open and I was tackled in a two-way hug. I peered into the grinning faces of Fred and George, and laughed.

"Bellsy!" they yelled, and I giggled. George picked me up and put me on his shoulders, spinning around in circles.

"Don't hog her!" shouted Fred, and I laughed. I was one of the very few people to be able to tell them apart.

After their greetings were (finally) done with, I followed them downstairs. The twins had told me how they had come here with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione and that Harry would be here next week. I was extremely happy that I didn't have to wait until school started to see my friends.

When Hermione saw me, she squealed before running up and hugging me. Her hair had become much tamer, and she had grown into her body quite well, although I was happy to see that I could still recognize my old friend the book-worm.

I gladly hugged her back. I had not seen them since my first year at Hogwarts, and we would be starting our fifth soon.

Ron was the next to step forward. He had grown greatly in the time I was gone, and now towered above me. He leaned down slightly to hug me, laughing in delight. He then stepped back next to Hermione, his ears slightly pink as he looked at her, a fact she was luckily unaware of. Hmm...

"Hey, Ginny!" I greeted, hugging the youngest Weasley member. When she was little, she had begged me to hang out with her since she was the only girl. I gladly obliged, and we became like sisters.

"How are you?" she asked, and I smiled, nodding.

The six of us hung out for a while, until dinner was called. Fred and George immediately disapparated with a loud CRACK! Ginny, Hermione and I shared looks, rolling our eyes, before making our way downstairs.

It felt wonderful to get back into the swing of things, almost as if no time had passed at all. However, time had passed. I could see how much older all of us looked, and I knew that I had aged several years mentally with my stay in Forks.

Fred and George dug in grotesquely to the stew, while everyone looked on in disgust.

It was good to be home. There was only one person I was anxious about seeing again.


	3. Who Am I?

**Chapter 3: Who Am I?**

I was quite happy to spend the week with the Weasley family and Hermione, catching up on the news and what not. I had known about the happenings of my friends since I had left, especially since in their third year they proved that my father was innocent and framed. I had always believed him when he told me that, as I had visited him in Azkaban. Lupin always told me that I shouldn't, so I never told him of my trust in his innocence. That would probably have made it so that he would never let me see my father again. I had never told anyone.

Sirius Black escaped the year before I began attending Hogwarts. He had visited me, telling me that he loved me and would see me again when he could. I was, of course, questioned greatly by the Ministry of Magic, and had to lie to make sure that my father was safe. He had gone deep into hiding, and had not been heard from until Harry's third year in Hogwarts, when a murder had occurred and he had been blamed. Then, of course, Ron and Hermione had joined Harry in not speaking to me, and only Ginny had continued to write. She updated me on the events, and informed me of how much more Harry hated me than he had before. Of course, when they found out the truth, Hermione and Ron returned to talking to me.

Ginny also told me of how, while Harry had been in Surrey, he and his cousin had been attacked by two Dementors. He had a Hearing that he had to attend once he arrived. According to her, he would be pretty barmy when he got here, because they hadn't been allowed to tell him anything about what was happening in the Wizarding World. I knew what that was like. Also, since I hadn't gotten _the Prophet_ in Washington, I was unaware that after he had faced off against Voldemort last year, the entire Wizarding World had decided that he was off his rocker.

I decided not to tell Ginny or Hermione about the Cullen family yet, because I wanted to get my thoughts back into the normal routine (I knew better than to tell the boys, as they would go all protective and want to kill him, which was not quite as easy as they would think).

I came down Monday morning to find an only slightly awake Ginny with no one else in sight. She yawned while informing me that they had gone with their mother to pick up some things from the Burrow, while Ron and Hermione were in Diagon Alley.

Harry would be coming soon. I was walking around nervously, and Dad had to put a calming spell on me to get me to eat.

Kreacher, the Black family House elf, seemed to be in a worse mood than when I met him. Once he had found out that he had to obey my orders along with Sirius', he had gone off growling obscenities under his breath. Dad had just informed him that he was not allowed to call anyone Mud-blood or blood traitor, and he had not taken the news kindly. I was actually quite happy to have him out of my sight.

I was just talking with Sirius about Buckbeak when the door bell rang. Immediately, the portrait of my grandmother in the hall began to scream. "_Blood-traitors, filthy half-breeds, get out of my house! You dirty up the Black family name with your presence!" _I quickly jumped up and, with Sirius, began to attempt to pull the curtain back over the painting.

At the sight of me, Mrs. Black began to yell out more horrible things which I do not feel the need to repeat. Love you too, Grandma. We finally got the curtain closed, and Dad and I slumped tiredly back against the wall.

"High-five," he whispered, and I grinned. We high-fived before I remembered the reason that she had began her tyrant in the first place. I turned around to see Harry standing there, staring at me in shock.

Sirius stepped back to give Harry and I some space. I slowly walked towards him, nervous. Harry and I had parted in bitterness, and I was unsure if he had forgiven me for my stupid mistake yet. Hesitantly, I held out my hand to shake. What would I do if he rejected me?

Harry grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug, and I knew I was forgiven.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I whispered. He shook his head, kissing my hair. He had grown taller, too.

"It's in the past. Forget about it." I nodded, and pulled back.

I peered into the emerald green eyes of the only person in the world who knew what I had been through. I took one look at his smiling face and burst into tears. I quickly darted around him before running up the stairs.

I made it into my room and locked the door before standing before my mirror. I watched as my features changed.

Who am I? Edward had loved the person I had pretended to be and, other than him, very few people had cared about me on that level.

I heard a gentle knock on the door, and Hermione's tentative voice call out, "Bella?"

I immediately changed to my original form, before crossing the room. I listened at the door until I was positive she was alone before letting her in.

She sat beside me on the bed, rubbing soothing circles on my back. The grief Edward had caused me abated slightly.

"Ginny and I have slightly been expecting you to burst into tears the whole week. We just got back when I saw you run upstairs. What happened to you while you were gone?"

I spoke slowly, not leaving anything out. Retelling it was easier than it had been the first time.

"That bloody bastard! And he just left you in the forest?"

I nodded, somewhat touched at her anger.

Out of the corner of my eye, I presently noticed a movement by the door. I glanced over there, then gestured for Hermione to continue to speak. She looked at the bottom of the door and, rolling her eyes, complied.

I slowly snuck closer to the door, making sure to be completely silent.

I knelt down and gently picked up the flesh colored string. "BOYS! Stop EAVESDROPPING!" I screamed into it, and I heard several shocked yells from the other side of the door. Apparently Fred and George's Extendable Ears had gotten better since the prototype they sent me.

I yanked the door open to find Fred, George, Harry, and Ron holding their ears. Ginny stood behind them, laughing.

I stood aside gestured for them to come inside, and they traded scared looks before complying.


	4. Kyra, Alice, and a Bogart

**Chapter 4: Kyra, Alice, and a Bogart**

I stood facing the four of them, tapping my foot and raising my eyebrow. Ron was the first to cave. "I'm sorry! It's just, you were so upset when you ran upstairs, and we-we just-" He cut off, looking at Harry, Fred, and George pleadingly.

Harry continued for him "We were just worried about what had hurt our sister so much. And whether or not we could kill the culprit," he finished bluntly.

"Apparently, we can't," whispered George, and I burst out laughing. Hermione and Ginny soon joined me.

"What are you laughing at?" George yelled, his voice breaking half way through. He immediately clapped his hand over his mouth. Everyone started laughing even more then.

* * *

That night after dinner, I was sitting up in my room, petting my pet owl, Kyra. She had had to stay here while I was gone since it would be too conspicuous to take her into the muggle world.

Harry found me there, and sat down next to me. Without even really thinking about it, I leaned my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my neck, holding me close. We had always done this, and I was happy to be able to do it again.

"Hey Bella," he started, "You don't have to answer this, but why didn't you tell him about us?" I sighed, knowing that he would ask this sooner or later.

"I was actually going to, the day that we went for a walk in the woods. However, he started to talk before I could tell him, and then afterwards, it seemed so pointless. He was going to leave whether I was a witch or not." He nodded thoughtfully, before reaching out to grab my hand gently from Kyra's feathers.

He turned my hand over, running his finger gently across the crescent shaped scar. My nerves tingled agreeably, and I repressed a shiver. Where did that come from?

"Is this the scar from where James bit you?" he whispered, sounding strange. I glanced up at him quickly, noting the pained look in his eyes.

I pulled my hand out of his grasp and grabbed his face. Forcing him to look at me, I spoke. "Hey, Harry. Don't feel bad, I'm fine. I'm still human, and I'm still alive. Don't worry."

His voice came out broken and quiet. "I wasn't there to do anything, because we weren't even talking. And it's all just because of that stupid argument we had." I reminisced about that day, as I was sure he was doing right now.

_Harry and I stood in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, with my trunk packed by my feet. I was going into hiding to make sure that the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to get me for revenge from the death of their comrade. Hermione and Ron had already said goodbye, and now it was just Harry and I._

"_So, this is it," I whispered, and Harry nodded. Suddenly, his face turned angry. _

"_Why do you have to go? We can protect you here!" _

_My voice was quiet. "You know why, Harry. I don't want to be a danger to everyone at Hogwarts if they try and get to me. Do you really think I could do something like that?"_

_He nodded; he knew that I would never ever forgive myself if something happened to anyone because of me. _

"_Bella, I wish I could come with you." _

"_You can't! You have to make sure that the public still has an icon to look up to while I'm gone, and you already are the one that they believe is going to defeat him. I believe that too! You can't just abandon everyone here! Don't you care at all?"_

_His face took on a hurt expression, and I immediately realized what I had done. "Harry, I didn't mean that…"_

"_Forget it. Have fun in America," he snapped, and stormed away. I stared after him, tears pouring down my face._

"I can't believe I was so stupid! I knew that I had to stay behind, and I knew that you had wished I could come with you. I shouldn't have said anything!"

I hugged him closer to me, breathing in his familiar scent. "It's not anyone's fault, Harry. We just have to move on, okay? Remember what you said, it's in the past! Right?"

He nodded. Kyra hooted next to me, flapping over to land on Harry's shoulder. She nipped his ear playfully, as if knowing that he needed to be distracted just then. We both laughed, and the bad mood vanished.

* * *

I had always had a crush on Harry. It was pathetic, really, considering that I was one of loads of teenage witches who did, but I was different for one simple reason. I liked Harry for who he was, not what he did. He was brave, thoughtful, selfless, and quick thinking. When he knew that he had to do something dangerous, he marched in headfirst, and then believed that he only survived by "sheer dumb luck". His piercing green eyes paired with his messy black hair made my heart beat faster every time I saw him. (At least with him he couldn't hear it).

Even when I was with Edward, I missed my family. That's what Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Harry were: my family. And, after their third year, Sirius joined in to play a huge part in my life.

And while I did not have a scar on my _forehead_, like Harry, I was not unmarked by my first meeting with Voldemort. In the center of my back there was a crescent, similar to my vampire bite, only on a much larger scale. Very few people even knew it was there. Not even Harry, Ron, Fred, or George.

I never asked for this, and neither did Harry. And while I somehow knew that Voldemort was back, I knew it would take a lot to convince the rest of our world.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley was working in the parlor, so her call was slightly muffled. "Harry dear, could you go look in the kitchen and see if Moody's here? I would like him to look at that locked desk in the room upstairs and tell us if it's a Bogart. I'm quite sure it is, but I would like to be positive that I wouldn't be facing something worse."

I had only dealt with a Bogart once in my life, and it was not exactly pleasant. One had moved in to my closet, and I had not known it was there when I had opened it. Out fell the body of Lupin, and I had screamed bloody murder. Of course, Lupin came running, and had quickly realized what was going on.

Harry nodded, and stood up before walking into the kitchen. Sirius, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I were all seated in the parlor, talking. Hermione had leant me a book of hers that I was dying to read, and I was absorbing it avidly. I was in the guise of Bella Swan at the moment, curious to see what it would feel like to be her again.

Harry came back in, telling us that it was indeed a Bogart, and that Mrs. Weasley had gone upstairs to take care of it.

After a few minutes, I remembered that I had a book that I had wanted to show Hermione, and stood up to go retrieve it. Once I was on the second floor landing, I presently became aware of someone's terrified sobs coming from the room nearby. I quickly made my way towards it, throwing open the door.

I stopped short at the sight of Mrs. Weasley with her back against the wall, terrified, facing the dead body of Ron. It quickly morphed into Ginny, then into Mr. Weasley, then Percy, then Bill…

I stepped in front of her, and the Bogart immediately changed into the image I never wanted to see again. The blonde hair, the dark red eyes, the sadistic smile....A very much alive and well James stepped forwards, crouching into a fighting stance. My throat closed up in fear, and I found myself as terrified as I had been when I faced him in the ballet studio.

"Why, hello Bella," he chuckled in that calm friendly voice he used. The sound of it sent shivers up my spine, and I cringed. The scar on my palm seemed so much colder than usual.

"What, no protector this time?" And he grinned, revealing sharp white incisors covered in dark red blood.

"_Riddikulus_!" someone shouted, and the figure before me burst apart like a balloon.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" The worried voice of Mrs. Weasley penetrated my fear, and I turned around startled. She stood there, a concerned look on her face; her eyes still red from crying.

Slowly, I nodded. I looked past her to see the worried face of Harry, my Dad, and Lupin. I forced a smile.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I grumbled, before pushing my way past them and continuing on to my room. Even I knew that that was a pathetic attempt at a lie.

* * *

Coming down stairs the next morning, I found Sirius, Lupin, and Mad Eye Moody staring out through a window in the dining room. "…. been standing there for an hour. I don't know who she is. I hope it's not a Death Eater…"

Curious, I joined them by the window. When I saw who they were looking at, I gasped. I turned around and bolted towards the front door, ignoring the calls of Lupin and Sirius behind me. I threw open the door and ran out onto the front lawn. I quickly made my way over to her, careful to stay in sight of the front window.

"Alice! What are you doing here? You have to leave!" I didn't know what would happen if everyone else came out, but I was hoping not to find out.

"Um, sorry, do I know you?" I was shocked for a second, before realizing that she didn't know me as I looked now. I quickly changed back into Bella Swan.

"_Bella_? How did you- I mean-"

"I don't have time to explain, you have to get out of here. Now!" I quickly realized it was too late, however, when she turned to look behind me. Lupin, Sirius, and Moody stood there, along with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. The former three all had their wands drawn.

Alice quickly sank into a defensive crouch, and I was caught between the two.

"Please stop," I moaned. Everyone ignored me. "STOP IT!" I screamed, and everyone slowly relaxed from their fighting positions. "Alice." I spoke through gritted teeth. "You have to come inside. Don't attack anyone, got it?"

She looked at me in shock, and I realized that she had never seen me like this. I was _not_ happy. I made my way into the house, pushing past my Dad and Godfather.

I stalked into the dining room, aware that Alice and everyone else were directly behind me. I sat at the head of the table. Alice sat on one side of the table while everyone else sat on the other. I felt like crying at the sight of my two families expressions.

"Bella, do you mind explaining?" Alice interjected slowly, still staring back at my Dad.

"Well, I guess I should start by saying that my name isn't Bella Swan, its Isabella Black. And I don't look like this normally." She turned to look at me, startled, and I morphed back into myself.

"And I'm a witch, Alice," I sighed. Alice's eyes widened in shock, and she seemed to freeze.

Hermione gasped from across the room, and I turned to look at her. "This is Alice?" she inquired, and she, Harry, Ron, and Sirius relaxed slightly.

"Bella, why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell _Edward_? " I inwardly flinched at his name. "We knew about magic, it's not like we would have told anyone!"

"I was going to, the day he left. He told me the truth before I could. I didn't think it mattered too much afterwards," I added bitterly, feeling the pain return slightly. She looked like she was about to say something, then changed her mind.

"Bella, I had a premonition. It was you, and- and-" She looked at me helplessly, and I realized what she must have seen.

"…and James. You saw me and James." She nodded, and I groaned. "Stupid Bogart," I muttered. She looked confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Alice, what you saw wasn't James. What you saw was me facing off against a Bogart. Not successfully, I might add. My greatest fear is James or Victoria coming after me here" She looked slightly relieved.

"Alice, you have to leave. _Now_. If I'm correct, no one but Jasper knows you are here. Right?"

She nodded, slightly ashamed looking. "But Bella-"

"Look, Alice. I'm really happy to see you again and all that, but I don't want you to know too much. I don't want Edward to know anything, and the more you know, the harder it's going to be to keep him blocked. For the friendship we had, _please_?"

Alice finally nodded. "Goodbye, Bella." She stood up and, with one last look, walked back out the front door.

I quickly jumped up and ran to my room, slamming the door just behind me. I locked it with a spell, before curling up on my bed. The sight of Alice had brought back so many memories, and I wasn't sure if I could handle it.

* * *

I was relatively more quiet the remainder of the summer. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had tried their hardest to cheer me up. The only time I laughed anymore was when Fred and George did their best. Luckily, Harry had gotten off in the hearing, so he would be returning to Hogwarts the next year. Everyone else had gone to Diagon Alley already. Since I wasn't allowed out of the house for safety reasons, they brought back all my school supplies. Hermione and I had both already read all our schoolbooks, which made Ron and Harry stare at us. Our school letters had arrived, and we were all shocked to find that _Ron_ and Hermione had been chosen as Prefects.

Soon we were leaving for King's Cross station, and I was quite anxious to see Hogwarts again. I was worried that Dad decided that he wanted to come along and had transformed into Snuffles to see us off. While Harry seemed to find the idea hilarious, I had tried warned him that it was too dangerous, but he had promised to be careful.

When we boarded the train, Harry, Ginny, and I headed off to search for a compartment while Ron and Hermione went off for Prefect duty.

We found one with Neville Longbottom and a girl I did not know, who Ginny soon introduced as Luna "Loony" Lovegood. Neville had changed quite a bit from when I had last seen him, and he seemed happy to see me.

Luna sat off to the side reading a magazine called _the Quibbler_. Upside down. Well, to each their own.

I pulled out my iPod again, this time listening to _Miss Murder_ by AFI. Luna and Neville were quite curious about the device, and I had to explain the concept to them. They seemed somewhat shocked that muggles could come up with such a gadget.

We were interrupted when Malfoy and his wannabe trolls stepped in. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the other bookworm. Such a shame, I was enjoying your absence." I rolled my eyes, ignoring him.

"I just came to ask you, Potter, that I was just wondering how you managed to hide your insanity from us all these years. I mean, even after you were exposed, you kept to your story. How very _dogged _of you." My blood ran cold. I knew very well that he had seen my dad, and by the looks of it, so did Harry. Before he could say anything, I had stepped forward and pointed my wand at Malfoy's throat.

I calmly replied, "You know, Malfoy, I learned quite a few interesting hexes while I was away. I can't wait to try them on you. Want to see my favorite?" I pleasured at the sight of Malfoy turning pale. He quickly ran out of the compartment, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

We had been there for about an hour more when Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw seeker Harry had a crush on (according to Ginny, who had ranted about her), stepped into the compartment. Of course, she picked the exact moment that Neville showed us his _Mimbulus mimbletonia. _It exploded, we got covered in Stinksap, and Cho decided that she could find a better time to talk to Harry. On the way out, she shot me a glaring look so that Harry couldn't see it.

This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

* * *

When I stepped into the Great Hall, a number of shocked whispers broke out. Since no one in the Wizarding World had seen me in years, this would be great gossip for a while. It was like being the new kid all over again.

I ignored the people craning to get a look at Harry and me, instead making our way towards the Gryffindor table.

The Great Hall finally quieted when doors opened and the first-years filed in. The Sorting Hat was placed on the stool, and it began to sing as usual. However, what it sang was quite different.

_In times of old when I was new_

_And Hogwarts barely started_

_The founders of our noble school _

_Thought never to be parted: _

_United by a common goal, _

_They had the selfsame yearning,_

_To make the world's best magic school_

_And pass along their learning_

"_Together we will build and teach!"_

_The four good friends decided_

_And never did they dream that they_

_Might someday be divided,_

_For were there such friends anywhere_

_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

_Unless it was the second pair_

_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

_How could such friendships fail?_

_Why, I was there and so can tell_

_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_

_Whose ancestry is purest."_

_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_

_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_

_With brave deeds to their name,"_

_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,_

_And treat them just the same."_

_These differences caused little strife_

_When they first came to light,_

_For each of the four founders had_

_A House in which they might_

_Take only those they wanted, so,_

_For instance Slytherin_

_Took only pure-blood wizards_

_Of great cunning, just like him,_

_And only those of sharpest mind_

_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

_While the bravest and the boldest_

_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

_And taught them all she knew,_

_Thus the Houses and their founders_

_Retained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years,_

_Bu then discord crept among us_

_Feeding on our faults and fears._

_The Houses that, like pillars four,_

_Had once held up our school,_

_Now turned upon each other and,_

_Divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_

_Must meet an early end,_

_What with dueling and with fighting_

_And the clash of friend on friend_

_And at last there came a morning_

_When old Slytherin departed_

_And though the fighting then died out_

_He left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the Houses been united_

_As they were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_

_And you all know the score:_

_I sort you into Houses_

_Because that is what I'm for,_

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether sorting_

_May not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows,_

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within_

_I have told you, I have warned you…_

_Let the Sorting now begin._

For a while after the Sorting Hat finished, all that could be heard was worried whispering. "Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron stated. I almost felt the need to roll my eyes.

After the Sorting, Dumbledore rose to his feet. "To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands-welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

The food appeared, and we all dug in. I had forgotten how good it was in my time away. There was roast beef, pork chops, bacon, fries, roast chicken, lamb chops, Yorkshire pudding, steak, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, peas, carrots, gravy, and hey! Pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, spaghetti, clam chowder, tomato soup, pastrami sandwiches, honey-glazed ham, and all other sorts of my favorite foods. Judging by the looks I was getting from the rest of my peers, these foods were truly only here for my benefit. The House elves surpassed all my expectations.

The desserts were just as plentiful and diverse. There were ice creams, mud pies, apple pies, cherry pies, treacle tarts, brownies, cakes, chocolate éclairs, jam doughnuts, truffles, trifle, chocolate-covered strawberries, Jell-O, chocolate pudding, rice pudding...

Presently Dumbledore stood up, and we fell silent. "Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices. First years ought to know that the forest in the ground is out of bound to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." I rolled my eyes as Hermione, Ron, and Harry exchanged grins. Further along the table I could see the Weasley twins doing the same.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you that all magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Also, tryouts for House Quidditch teams will take place on the-"

He was interrupted, however, as a short, toad-like woman dressed atrociously in pink cleared her throat. The tiny "_Hem hem," _was at first unnoticeably.

"That's the woman who was at my hearing!" gasped Harry.

She stood up and stood before Dumbledore, smiling. The Headmaster, who did not seem to know what exactly to make of this woman, stepped aside and backwards.

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how happy I am to see all your smiling faces looking back at me."

I didn't see anybody smiling at all. In fact, they all looked slightly insulted. "Is she mental?" I whispered to Ron, and he had to stifle a laugh.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll all be very good friends."

I ignored her as she continued to speak, instead looking around the hall. I presently caught the eye of a Ravenclaw who seemed to be in the year above us. He seemed somehow familiar, but I could not place where I had seen him before.

I heard clapping, and I realized that toad lady must have finished speaking.

"What did _that_ mean?" Ron asked.

"It means that the Ministry of Magic is interfering at Hogwarts," stated Hermione coldly.

Dumbledore stood back up, continuing on with his normal speech. "And lastly, I would like to welcome back Isabella Black." I glared at him, blushing slightly as everyone turned to stare at me.

I was happy when we were dismissed. I laughed along with Harry at Ron who yelled out, "Oi! You lot! Midgets!" at the first years, and was now being scolded by Hermione.

We followed them up the stairs. I couldn't help notice how much staring was going on and, by the look of Harry's dark, sullen expression, neither could he. I hurried us along a bit, trying to spend as little time as possible being gawked at.

Finally we reached the Common room, and separated before heading up to our dorms. I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow.


	5. Dark Conversations and a Prediction

**Chapter 5: Dark Conversations and a Prediction**

_I found myself in an eerie graveyard, with a heavy fog resting across the ground. It looked like something out of a horror movie. I was walking among the gravestones, my Converse crunching in the damp grass. Of course, for the horror movie picture to be complete, it had to be night. Better yet, it was midnight. Much creepier._

_ I was walking in the direction of one specific tombstone; it was a large angel with her arms outstretched towards the heavens. Her face was pulled back in an expression of agony, and tears seemed to pour down her face._

_ "I must say, I did not expect to hear you were back in England for another year. This is a pleasant surprise." I turned around, and came face to face with Lord Voldemort. His eyes were the red slits, and his nostrils were that of a snake. His colorless skin looked luminescent in the light of the moon. _

_ I had told no one except Harry, but I had talked to the Dark Lord in my sleep since I was nine years old. In Harry's second year, Voldemort had taken on the form of Tom Riddle. After last year, I was faced with him in his new form. _

_ "Hello, Voldemort. I must say, this body suits you." _

_Somehow, I was ten times braver in my sleep than I was in real life. Maybe it was because I had found that the nightmares with him in them were the only ones I had that didn't turn into night terrors, and didn't cause me to talk. I knew that if he hurt me, I would wake up and be completely unharmed._

_ "Miss Black, if you and Mr. Potter ever meet me again, you will get the worst of it. Your complete disregard for self-preservation is becoming quite annoying."_

_ "I'm guessing that you called me here to tell me something. You don't seem like the one for idol chat." I raised an eyebrow, curious. _

_ "My, we are quite the smart one, aren't we? You are correct, however. I have come to tell you that I have a special surprise in store for you this year. I may be seeing you sooner than you might think. Until then, au revoir, Miss Black."_

_ I was engulfed in darkness_...and opened my eyes to find it early morning in the dorm room.

I dressed quickly and quietly, making sure not to wake anyone. I made my way down the stairs and into the Common room. I was surprised to find Harry already there, asleep in an armchair.

I did not want to wake him, but for some reason I could not look away. His forehead was furrowed in a frown, and I longed to be able to smooth it away. He was tossing in his sleep, and before I realized what I was doing, I had crossed the room and gently shaken him awake.

He woke up, and I was staring into his emerald green eyes. I couldn't speak. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" He stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

I almost immediately became aware of our close proximity, and the fact that my heart was hammering away.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, and I collapsed in sobs in his arms. He held me close, whispering soothing things in my ear. He sat back down and pulled me onto his lap.

"He-He..." he shushed me, and held me until I calmed down completely. I immediately told him about my dream, and his eyes turned dark.

"Don't worry, he won't do anything. Got it? We'll all make sure of that." I nodded, and then blushed as I realized what position we were in.

"Sorry," I whispered, and stood up. My body screamed at the loss of contact. I saw an emotion pass across his face, but it was gone milliseconds later.

"Let's get some breakfast," I announced, clearing my throat. He nodded, and we made our way out through the portrait hole.

We were one of the first students to enter, and the only Gryffindors. We were quiet at first, but soon we relaxed and began talking. He told me about the dream he had been having, the one with the long hallway which he never got through completely.

I had missed Harry so much. I occasionally would think of him, and then regret would flood me. A few times Jasper had had to calm me down. I knew that it was wrong, but I sometimes even compared Edward to Harry. They were so different, and yet they both affected me so strongly. It was unfathomable.

Everyone else began arriving, Hermione and Ron with them. When they asked why we were up so early, I told them that I had a nightmare and Harry said he fell asleep in the Common room. They didn't need any more details.

I was thoroughly enjoying my Eggs Benedict when Harry was approached from behind by Angelina Johnson who, she informed us, was this year's Quidditch Captain. "And I want the whole team there on Friday for Keeper tryouts." Harry informed her he would be there, and she walked away.

Professor McGonagall was now handing out our schedules. My heart sank as I saw ours.

"Man!" Ron groaned, "We have History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts...first day back and we already have to deal with Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that toad woman all in one day!"

"Well, it is O.W.L. year. I expect they have to teach us enough for the exams, starting now." Hermione commented over the top of her copy of _The Daily Prophet_.

The four of us had History of Magic first. The lectures were ceaseless, and if it wasn't for the fact that I just barely withstood his hypnotic voice and Hermione seemed impervious to it, the entire class would either be asleep or playing tick-tack-to.

Hermione, who always was annoyed that the boys borrowed her notes, asked what would happen if she didn't lend them their notes this year. Of course, Ron knew exactly what to say to her. "We do try to listen. We just aren't as smart or amazing as you." Hermione snapped back, but seemed to blush slightly as we continued walking. Hey, I thought only I did that!

We hung out in the courtyard for a few minutes before Potions, in which Cho tried her second attempt of talking to Harry. Of course, Ron ruined it this time by drilling her about the Quidditch badge on her robes. She left.

As soon as she was out of sight, both Hermione and I slapped Ron upside the head. "Ow, what was that for? And why did you have to double team me?" Hermione and I traded looks. Boys were so oblivious sometimes.

While Hermione explained to Ron _exactly _why we did that, I studied Harry. At the sight of Cho, he had turned slightly pink, and didn't seem quite as calm as usual. Of course.

The bell rang, and we trooped off to Potions. Not only was it Potions, it was _double _potions. With Slytherin. Great, just what everybody needs: more time with Snape and Slytherin together. I mean, may not hate Snape as much as Harry did, but that didn't mean he wasn't a right foul git.

"Before we begin today' class," Snape drawled, "I think it imperative to remind you that next June you will be taking an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the creation and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly is, I expect you to scrape an 'acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my...disapproval."

I grimaced slightly. Same old Snape.

Snape of course, chose Harry to pick on once class started. His wasn't even the worse one there, but Harry made sure I didn't say anything.

Somehow this subject reminded me slightly of chemistry, so I did fairly. Mine was not quite as silver as Snape's example, but he deemed my potion "adequate."

We had lunch next, and the second the lunch bell rang, Harry was off. He was already eating by the time we got there. Hermione and Ron (of course) started arguing, and I watched apprehensively as Harry's temper frayed. Finally, he snapped.

"Will you two just _shut up_? All you ever do is argue." He stood up and left, leaving his bag behind. Hermione and Ron were silent for two seconds before they started blaming each other for arguing. Wow, guys. That lasted.

I grabbed Harry's bag and followed him. I knew that Ron, Harry, and I had Divination next, so I made my way up to the tower.

Harry was sitting with his back against the wall and his knees curled up to his chest. I placed his bag down beside him, and turned to leave.

"Wait," he started, and I stopped. He smiled weakly and gestured for me to sit beside him.

I laughed slightly. "I think you should know that your comment worked for about half a second before they started arguing over who starts the arguments. I can see what you mean."

The silver ladder came down finally, and we were the first to climb up. We sat down at a table for three, and pulled out our books.

Ron came up with everyone else five minutes later. He didn't say anything; only shot Harry an apologetic look.

I suddenly felt like I was being watched, so I turned around. Sitting in a hugely over-stuffed chair at the front of the room, was a small spindly lady draped in cloth and beads. Her coke-bottle magnifying glasses gave her the appearance of a bug.

"Hello," Professor Trelawney trilled in a dreamy voice. It reminded me somewhat of Luna Lovegood. "And welcome back to my class. I knew you would all be back, of course, but it is still a comfort to see. And, we have a new student. Tell me dear, what month were you born in?" I was slightly shocked to see she was gesturing at me, and I froze for a few seconds.

"I was born on the Summer Solstice," I replied, and she gave a great gasp and clutched her chest. "My dear, my dear," she wailed. I blinked slightly. "Oh, how terrible a fate. It saddens me that someone so young has so much burden." Quite suddenly, she returned to her dreamy demeanor.

"Of course, fate is inescapable, though not many may understand it as well as I. This year, as my All Seeing Eye has told me, we must move beyond-" at this she gestured off to a wall, "-our physical limits and spread our wings for flight. This year, as I have learned, is your O.W.L. year, and while I am not sure what an examination will do for those of you without the Sight, I will do my best to prepare you for it. Today, we will be interpreting dreams. Quickly, open your books. Read the introduction and begin interpreting your seat partner's most recent dreams. Miss Black, since we now have an uneven number, you may make your way to the front once you have finished reading the introduction and join me. Which you have already done, so."

Huh, maybe she wasn't as batty as she seemed. I picked up my book and made my way to the front. Slowly, I sat down in front of her. She took my hand in hers, and traced my palm lines gently with her finger.

"I tried to learn how to read palms once," I stated, trying to start a conversation. "Of course, since it was a muggle's interpretation, it was far inferior to the Wizarding kind." She looked up at me in surprise, before nodding kindly.

"Now dear, do you remember your most recent dream?" I hesitated slightly, before leaning forward and describing it in a whisper to her.

She gasped in shock again, and chanted how horrible a hand the fates had dealt me. She told me, (or sobbed at me), that this dream meant that sometime this year I would come face to face with a powerfully evil force, and that I may not survive. Well, thanks Professor. I already knew that.

"Don't worry about it," Harry whispered in my ear as we made our way out of the classroom. His breath tickled my ear, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. "She did that to me almost every day the last two years. Stands to reason that I couldn't be the only one to die a horrible death."

We entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom next, and I was slightly creeped out to find Professor Umbridge sitting behind her desk, smiling at us as we walked in.

It was an eventful class, starting with Hermione arguing with a teacher (which had never happened before, even I knew that), and ending with Harry and I getting detention; Harry for saying Voldemort was back and I for saying that Professor Umbridge's treatment of half-breeds was barbaric.

To say that Professor McGonagall was not happy was completely true. She told Harry how he needed to not make more of an enemy out of the Ministry. She also informed me that even though she understand why I said what I did, it was best to keep my head down too. She reminded us of the same thing that Hermione had declared, that the Ministry was interfering at Hogwarts.

We both had detention with Umbridge each night for the rest of the week.

* * *

That night, the four of us were working in the Common room when I went upstairs to the bathroom for a few minutes. When I came back down, Harry and Ron had left the room. Hermione informed me of what Seamus had informed Harry. Not only that, but he told harry how I wasn't any better because I had just hidden for the past three years.

I swiftly turned around and marched straight back upstairs, picking up my bag as I went. I collapsed on my bed, running my hand over my face.

Okay, so I didn't really tell everyone everything. Yes, everybody in the Wizarding World knew that I had to go into hiding, but they didn't know why. Only Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, and the Order knew that. If they did, it would probably cause a massive panic.

Voldemort could find me almost anytime he wanted to. The only reason he didn't attack me in Washington or Phoenix was because of some powerful protection charms Dumbledore had placed on me. He still knew where I was, he just couldn't get to me. While I was at Hogwarts, I was safer, and the Fidelius Charm prevented him from finding me at Grimmauld Place, but anywhere else and I was vulnerable to attack.

I finally closed my eyes, passing over to the shadows of my dreams.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ambushed me the second I walked into the Great Hall the next morning. Since I had woken up earlier than everybody else (again) I had gone for a walk before breakfast. I answered their questions before sitting down and digging in, effectively ending all conversation.

Malfoy caught me after breakfast. "Hello, Black. How's your dad?"

I wasn't exactly in the mood to put up with him. "Hey, Malfoy. Want to learn what I found out about your family while I was in the states?" His face went completely white. He turned and ran off, leaving behind a very confused Crabbe and Goyle.

"What did you find out?" Harry asked, curious as to what I could possibly have on Malfoy to make him turn that white.

"Who says I found out anything?" I grinned, winking at him before making my way towards Double Charms.

* * *

Harry's POV (Just a short one)

I stared slightly as she walked away, unconsciously swaying her hips. Ron was keeled over laughing, and Hermione was trying to stop giggling. I felt a grin spread across my face.

I forced myself to laugh the situation off, knowing that it didn't mean anything.

_But she winked at you_

Shut. Up.

* * *

Bella's POV (Unless I say otherwise)

Three of them caught up with me just as Flitwick let us in. Every teacher we had had so far reminded us of the importance of O.W.L. year. In charms we then reviewed summoning charms, which Harry was quite good at considering he had had to use one in the Triwizard Tournament last year. Then we got loads of homework.

In Transfiguration we started working on Vanishing spells. My snail looked see-through by the end of the period, while Ron's and Harry's had done absolutely nothing.

We all had to practice as homework.

During our free period, Harry and Ron had raced to the library to try and work on the large amount of homework they had left unfinished the night before. I had finished mine, and Hermione wasn't speaking to Ron at the moment because of his comment about her trying to free the house-elves.

We had Care of Magical Creatures next, in which we studied bowtruckles. Of course I just _had _to get stuck next to Parvati and Lavender who were cooing over them. Professor Grubbly-Plank was quite gruff and to the point, and would not answer Harry's question about the whereabouts of Hagrid.

What class wasn't complete without Malfoy and Harry getting into an argument! This one ended up with Harry's bowtruckle biting him, then making an escape attempt.

"Wow, I wonder what it would be like to have a difficult life," I snickered sarcastically. Harry and Ron laughed, while Hermione frowned. She hadn't loosened up at all while I was away, had she.

Something quite interesting happened on the way to Herbology. Several fourth years, including Ginny, were making their way out of the greenhouse while we were going in. One of them was Luna, and the second she saw us, she made her way towards Harry. She took a huge breath. "I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped."

"O-kay." Harry didn't seem quite sure what to make of her, and neither did I.

A few minutes after she had left, (her radish earrings swinging wildly), the same declaration came from Ernie Macmillan. "I want you to know, Potter, that it's not only weirdos who support you. I personally believe in you one hundred percent."

After Harry awkwardly thanked him, Ernie turned to me and flashed me a nervous smile before walking away. What was that about?

After Herbology class (which was very tiring, I assure you) Harry and I tried to quickly grab something to eat before detention. That idea was immediately squashed, however, as Angelina Johnson marched up to Harry and ridiculed him for getting a detention the day of the Gryffindor's Keeper tryouts. Whoops. She then put in that Harry would have to convince Umbridge to let Harry off on Friday.

Harry stated that he was quite sure that that would never ever work. "And on top of detention, I have all that homework I have to finish." Ron groaned and put his head down on the table.

"Kill me now," he muttered.


	6. Detention and a Letter

**Chapter 6: Detention and a Letter**

Harry and I knocked on the door of Professor Umbridge's office. Upon entering, I almost threw up. The entire room was pink and covered with kittens. A framed picture of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, sat on the desk. OBSESSED! The room was covered in frills and doilies. Alice would have had a heart attack. And she's a vampire!

"Good evening," purred Professor Umbridge, who had been working when we stepped in. She could have fit in right at home with her many, many cat photos with that noise. She grinned in such a grotesque way that I winced.

She gestured for us to sit down, and Harry and I exchanged glances before complying. The chairs were large and pink, of course, and reminded me of something for a Barbie doll.

"Now, you will be writing lines for me. They will say _I must not tell lies_, for Mr. Potter, and _always respect the Teacher_, for Ms. Black. Oh, you won't be needing those," she giggled as Harry and I reached for our quills. "No, you will be using rather..._special_ quills of mine."

She handed us two long black quills, with golden points that were unusually sharp. I pulled out a sheet of parchment and smoothed it across the table.

"How many lines would you like is to write?" I aksed in a monotone voice.

"As many as it takes to _sink in_." Um...huh?

"You haven't given us any ink," Harry stated, and I realized that he was correct.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't need any." And then she smiled. Well, _that _cleared it up.

With a sigh, I began to write. _Always respect the Teacher_. Sure enough, a dark red ink showed up on the page. As soon as I finished penning the word _Teacher_, however, I gasped in pain. The back of my hand began to sting, then throb. Before my very eyes, lines began to be cut into my hand, forming the words I had just finished writing. Then, just as quickly, they closed up again. However, this time my skin was redder than before.

I glared up at her. She gave me a creepy smile, so I steadily began writing. I would not give her the satisfaction. "Is there something the matter?" I heard her ask Harry. I quickly glanced over to make sure that he was okay. He too, seemed to not want to give her the pleasure in seeing what she was doing, so we both returned to our papers.

I had always gotten sick at the scent of blood, so I began breathing through my mouth. I didn't think that fainting in front of her would get me out of detention, either. I don't know how long we sat there, scratching the words out in our own blood, before I heard her girlish voice say, "Well, let's see, shall we?"

I stood up and made my way towards her, and she grabbed my hand in hers. I refused to show any signs of pain, instead staring her steadily in the eye. She ran her finger over my freely bleeding hand, and smiled.

She then did the same thing with Harry, before gesturing for us to leave. "Please come the same time tomorrow night, you two." I marched out of her office, head held high.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Harry whispered once we were out of sight from her office. I had finally been unable to hide my nausea to the smell any longer, and sat down, leaning my head against the wall. Harry quickly sat down beside me, procuring a bandage of sorts from somewhere and swiftly wrapping up my hand. After a few minutes, I felt color return to my face and I stood up. Harry scrambled after me, and I made my way once again to the Common room, forcing him to follow.

Harry stopped me as we were right outside one last time, and demanded to know what was wrong. "It's the smell of blood," I admitted. "It makes me nauseas." He nodded, and we made our way inside.

I quickly darted past Hermione and Ron, who evidently had waited for us to come back and fallen asleep, and made my way to my dorm. I waved at Harry at the top of the stairs before turning around and leaving.

I quietly pulled on my pajamas before making my way towards the bathroom. I splashed some water on my clammy face, and stared at the mirror. My normal appearance stared back. Maybe it was time for a change...

I lengthened my hair so that it stopped mid-back, and added a few purple streaks. To go with this color theme, I changed my dark blue eyes to a sparkling amethyst.

Nodding, satisfied, I made my way to bed.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, Hermione was still asleep. I dressed quickly and left. I grabbed my schoolbag on the way out, and placed it on the couch next to me in the Common room.

I was quickly checking to make sure that all my homework was done, when I found a small, folded piece of paper in my bag. Curious, I gently unfolded it and scanned it quickly.

_Dear Isabella,_

_You have never spoken to me once, but you captivate me so. To quote Shakespeare "It is my lady; O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!"Of course, I hope that the fate of our relationship will end so much happier then Romeo and Juliet's, even if they are fictional. _

_I am intrigued by your presence, for I have not seen you since your first year. How excited I am that you have returned! I pray that you will notice me._

_I must admit that I cannot help but gaze upon you when we are near. You entrance me so! Your wonderful eyes tell so much about your soul, and yet you remain a mystery. I hope to unlock that mystery._

_Farewell until my next message,_

_ My beautiful Bella_

I stared at the page. Blinked, shook my head, and stared again. Who was this? A better question was how did whoever it was put this message in my bag? And did he say he was _watching_ me?

I stood up as fast as possibly without falling over (somehow I had grown less clumsy since my return) and raced up the stairs to our dorm.

I quickly jumped on Hermione's bed and clamped a hand over her mouth, as she had woken up and almost screamed. I slowly lowered my hand, then grabbed her and pulled her out of bed.

She motioned for me to hold on for a moment, and I waited impatiently as she quickly changed into her robes. She had scarcely finished pulling them on when I dragged her off again.

"What is it?" she asked almost exasperated once we finally reached the Common room. I handed her the note and started pacing.

I saw her eyes go form curious to shock to slightly scared as she read. Once she finished, she looked up at me, startled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I groaned, and then collapsed onto the couch. She patted my arm.

"Where did you find this?" she asked. I told her the whole story. She looked even more disturbed.

"As if I didn't have enough on my plate, now this!"

"Now _what_?" I jumped as Harry and Ron spoke from behind us. I quickly tried to hide the note, but Harry, with the reflexes of a Seeker, snatched it out of my hand.

He read it, _growled_, and then handed it to Ron. Ron looked disgusted. '_Cannot help but gaze upon you?' _he mouthed.

"What _is_ this?" he asked. Harry still looked too furious for words. I looked pleadingly at Hermione, and she slowly explained. Nobody spoke for a moment when she finished.

"Bella, this is almost _stalker level_. Did you read that one part? Revolting." I nodded. Before we could speak more on the matter, however, more people began to make their way downstairs. The four of use stood up and headed towards the Great Hall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried to talk more, but I shook my head. I would ignore it until something else happened. It was pretty much all I could do.

* * *

Harry and I were on our way back from our second detention that night when we ran into Ron. He was dressed in a large outdoor cloak and was hiding his broom behind his back.

After quite a bit of pestering on my part he admitted to wishing to try out for the position of Keeper on Friday.

Of course, since we had no chance to wrap our hands, he noticed that Harry and I were bleeding. He, of course, wanted us to go to Dumbledore. Harry and I luckily talked him out of it.

A few more days passed, with our detentions continuing and the work piling up. I managed to complete all of mine; however Harry was struggling along with Ron. I helped them as much as I could, but I knew that it would take a while for them to catch up.

I was sitting with the others by the fire, just finishing an Astronomy essay for Professor Sinistra, when I heard a strange tapping noise on the window. No one else seemed to have noticed it, but I stood up to check anyway.

I peered out into the dark night, and was shocked to see a somewhat familiar tawny owl sitting on the window sill.

"Ron?" I called. He looked up, then came over to where I was standing.

"Blimey, is that _Hermes_? What's Percy writing to me for?" I shrugged. He opened the window and let in the large owl. He pulled off the tightly rolled scroll tied to the bird's leg, before making his way closer to the fire to read it.

I gently stroked the bird on the head, smiling slightly when he nipped my finger affectionately.

A snarl alerted me to the fact that, whatever Percy had written, it was not something Ron was happy about. He practically threw the letter at Harry and Hermione, and I saw them read it slowly. Their eyes widened.

"Well, Ron if you...erm...what was the phrase? Wish to _sever ties_ with me, I promise I won't get violent!" Harry stated, trying to lighten the mood. I made my way over to where they were, before picking up the note.

_Dear Ron,_

_I have only just heard (from no less a person that the Minister of Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect._

_ I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the "Fred and George" route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility._

_ But I wish to give you more than congratulations, Ronald, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions._

_ From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are stilling seeing a lot of Harry Potter and now Isabella Black. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternization with those two. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this- no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favorite and Black is well liked, too- but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different – and probably more accurate – view of Potter's behavior. As for Black, she has had some interesting acquaintances while in America. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the _Daily Prophet _tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing – and see if you can spot yours truly!_

_ Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter and Black, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality if you ask me and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt._

_ It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter and Black – I know that Potter can be unbalanced and, for all I know violent, and Black is, after all, a Black – but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in the two's behavior that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a really delightful woman, who I know will be only be too happy to advise you._

_ This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should not be with him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that so far Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from the staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week – again see the _Prophet _tomorrow!). I shall say only this – a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years! _

_ I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticize our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore (if you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders). I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people – the Minister really could not be more gracious to me – and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realize how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a fully apology when that day comes.  
Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter and Isabella Black, and congratulations again on becoming a prefect._

_ Your brother,_

_ Percy_

"Since when is Umbridge a delightful woman?" Hermione laughed. I, however, was extremely nervous. How did Percy know about what I was doing in America? Did he mean the Cullen family?

"Harry, do you have any idea what the password for Dumbledore's office might be?" I questioned in a rush. He looked confused for a second before shaking his head.

I sighed. I would just have to hope to catch him. I stood up quickly and jogged out of the Common room. I heard their calls from behind me, but I didn't have time.

Luck was on my side. Professor McGonagall was just stopping before the stone gargoyles when I got there. "Miss Black, what are you doing up at this hour?" she inquired, sounding shocked.

"I have to talk to Professor Dumbledore at some point, its urgent." She looked at me for a second before nodding. She turned to the gargoyles.

"Mars Bar," she stated, looking slightly annoyed at the Headmasters' password choice. The gargoyle stepped to the side, and the staircase spun up out of the floor. We quickly stepped on and were brought up, much like an escalator.

When the staircase stopped moving, we were standing before a large, wooden double door. A golden lion's paw door knocker rested against the door frame, and Professor McGonagall grabbed a hold of it and let it swing down. The resulting clang echoed around the hall.

"Come in," came the quiet voice of Dumbledore. The doors swung open, and I hesitantly stepped inside at Professor McGonagall's prodding.

The Headmaster's office was somewhat round, with an upper loft filled with numerous books and bottles. On the bottom floor, the room was filled with tables covered in strange silver devices, some of which were spinning or humming. A cabinet to the side gave off a bluish glow, and on a perch in the corner sat a magnificent red and gold bird which I recognized as Fawkes, the Phoenix, from Ron's description.

"Ah, Minerva, thank you for coming. And Miss Black, what a pleasant surprise. How may I help you?" Dumbledore winked at me, and I had the funny feeling that he knew exactly why I was here. Well, Ron had voiced that Dumbledore always knew what was going on in the school.

"I wish to speak with you, sir, but I could wait outside until you are finished speaking with Professor McGonagall, if you like." Professor McGonagall looked slightly taken aback. Dumbledore only smiled.

"That would be most appreciated, my dear." I nodded, and stepped back outside. I pulled the door shut behind me, before rubbing my eyes.

I was only there for a few minutes when Professor McGonagall came back out, nodded at me to go in, and made her way back down the stairs. I took a deep breath and stepped back in.

Dumbledore smiled serenely at me from behind his desk, and I was reminded of the time in our first year when, while Harry and I were in the Hospital Wing, he sat there humming.

I gently sat in the chair he gestured to, then looked up. "How does the Ministry know what I was doing in America?" I whispered. There was another question on my mind, but this one came first.

Dumbledore sighed. "The Ministry of Magic, after last year when Harry came out of the maze, decided to keep an eye on him and his friends. They could easily keep an eye Ron and Hermione since they lived in England. But they had to send someone to America to watch you. It was much easier to watch you in Phoenix than it was in Forks, but they managed. They placed a spell on the entire town to make sure that everyone though that the family had always lived there, and then enrolled one of their children in the school. The other kid goes to Hogwarts. You came two weeks later."

"Who?" I asked.

"I believe you knew Mike Newton." I sat bolt upright in my chair, shocked. _Mike_?

"Mike? _Mike _is a wizard?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"Mike is what we call a Squib. Do you know what that is?" I shook my head. "A Squib is almost the opposite of a Muggle-born. It is someone who is born into a magical family without magical powers."

This was a bit much to take in. I sat there for a few minutes, absorbing it. They had me _watched_? Dumbledore let me think, smiling at me over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?" he questioned kindly.

I opened my mouth to say no, then closed it. Should I tell him? I finally decided to tell him about the letter. He looked slightly worried as I finished, and tapped his chin for a few seconds.

"I will have to look in to this. I promise that I will make sure that no one but you know names or anything. Is that all, Miss Black?" I nodded.

"Very well, then, goodbye."

I nodded, stood up, and made my way out of the room. I had a lot to think about.


	7. The New High Inquisitor

**Chapter 7: The New High Inquisitor**

The next day, the school was abuzz with the news. "DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED HIGH INQUISITOR AT HOGWARTS!" screamed the headlines. Umbridge would be as smug as the toad she looked like if it caught a huge fly. She now had power. The news article stated that she would be examining several different classes to see if the teacher's were "fit" for the job. I knew that it wouldn't be long at all until we saw the changes.

We had History of Magic first, and so we all ran off incase Umbridge was sitting in during the class. We were in luck; the only adult in the room (if he could still be called that, considering he was a ghost,) was Professor Binns.

Harry, Ron, and I suffered in silence along with the rest of the class. I had thought of how muggle college students used recorders in their class, and had found a spell to be performed on a quill that would let it take notes for me. I didn't even mind Hermione's glare.

The rest of the day went by extremely slow. Next we had double potions, followed by Divination. Trelawney was inspected by Umbridge. It didn't look good for Trelawney.

* * *

Ron had gotten the Keeper position on the Gryffindor team. He had come in babbling like an idiot with is ears bright red, and it had taken Harry translating to understand what he was saying. Their first few practices, however, put a damper on the good mood. The Slytherins would not stop heckling Ron, and it had shown in his skills.

I was finished with my detentions. Harry, however, had gotten himself several more. That boy could not learn when to shut up. The next day, I looked up from my breakfast to find Ron staring off into space, smiling. "Ron? Ron...RON!" He jumped.

"Huh? Wha˗ what?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ron, WHAT can you be so happy about?" Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Hermione and Harry turn to look at us.

Ron grinned again. "We have Professor McGonagall today. I just can't wait to see what happens when Umbridge tries to inspect her class. She won't know what hit her."

Ron was indeed correct. Professor Umbridge arrived before Professor McGonagall, and perched on a stool in the corner, like a frog on a lily pad.

Professor McGonagall marched in with her head held high and didn't spare Umbridge a glance at all. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and pass back the homework. Miss Brown, please take this box of mice and hand one to each student˗"

"Hem, hem." She was ignored. I turned from my seat next to Harry to grin at Ron.

"Right then, everyone listen closely. Most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be˗"

"_Hem, hem_."

"_May I help you_?" Professor McGonagall stormed, turning round to give an owlish stare to Professor McGonagall. Despite Harry's annoyance with her (she had taken away points from him for not keeping his head down and away from Umbridge) I was quite proud of my Head of House.

"Oh, I was just wondering," Professor Umbridge simpered, "whether or not you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec˗"

"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," stated Professor McGonagall. I applauded her in my head.

"Now. As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. The Vanishing Spell ˗"

"Hem, hem." What the hell was that noise she was making? Honestly!

"I wonder," snapped Professor McGonagall, "how you expect to 'gain an idea of my usual teaching methods' if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk in my classroom while I am speaking." Professor Umbridge's mouth snapped close.

Professor McGonagall continued teaching the class. I managed to vanish my mouse on the seventh attempt. Professor Umbridge did not move from her stool the whole class.

Professor Umbridge made her way up to Professor McGonagall's desk. "You shall receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

"I can hardly wait," commented Professor McGonagall dryly.

* * *

"You want me to WHAT?"

The four of us had returned from our last class for the day. I had just finished all my homework, and Hermione, who had been told by Ron about what went on in Umbridge's office, had finally dropped the bomb that apparently she had been thinking about for a while.

"Are you bloody INSANE?" Harry continued. I suppressed a chuckle.

"What is so funny?" he snapped, turning on me. Wow, touchy.

"Nothing, nothing. Well, except the fact that I'm sure Hermione _doesn't_ want Umbridge to find out about her defense club, which will be pretty hard now, what with your yelling." I raised my eyebrows at him, and he stood there breathing heavily for a few seconds.

Finally, he collapsed back into his chair. From where I was seated beside Hermione, I could hear her sigh of relief.

"Harry, please just listen. The thing is, you were right about what you said in Umbridge's first class. Defense Against the Dark Arts is about preparing us for what is out there after school. And if that means V-Voldemort and his followers, so be it."

Yay Hermione! She had never been able to say Moldyvort's name out loud before.

"The most obvious person to teach us," Hermione continued, "would be you."

"But I haven't done anything!" Wow, Harry. Just, wow.

Ron obviously agreed with me. "Let's think. First year, you save the Stone from You-Know-Who."

"But that was luck, that wasn't skill˗"

Hey I was there too, and catching one key in a thousand and staying calm, at the age of eleven, while an evil wizard was growing out of the back of one of your teacher's heads wasn't exactly luck.

"Second year," Ron interrupted, "you stabbed a Basilisk with a _sword _and destroyed Riddle."

"Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn't turned up I˗"

Yeah. Giant snakes? No thanks.

"Third year," pursued Ron, louder still, "you fought off about a hundred dementors at once˗"

AND saved my dad from getting his soul sucked out.

"You know that was a fluke, if the Time-Turner hadn't˗"

"Last year," Ron retorted, almost shouting now, "You fought off You-Know-Who again˗"

"_You don't know what it's like!_" Harry stood up, knocking his bowl of murtlap essence to the ground. Ouch, his hand is really going to hurt now.

"You˗ any of you˗ you've never had to face him, have you?" Excuse me? Hello, over here.

"You think it's just memorizing a bunch of stupid spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you're sure you now there's nothing between you and dying except your own˗ your own brain or guts or whatever˗ like you can think straight when you know you're about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die˗ they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that˗ and you three just sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up. You just don't get it, that that could just as easily have been me; it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me˗"

_I _don't know what it's like? Gee, thanks, Harry, for giving me so much credit. I didn't even have to say anything.

"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," Ron stuttered, looking thoroughly horrified. "We weren't saying that Diggory was stupid, or that- we didn't˗ I mean˗"

Ron trailed off, looking at Hermione pleadingly for help.

"Harry," she offered hesitantly, "don't you see? This…this is exactly why we need you…we need to know what it's really like."

Harry slowly stopped fuming, then sank back down into his chair. I couldn't really hold in what I was thinking any longer. I stood up quickly.

"I'm off to bed. And Harry, next think before you speak. You aren't the only one who had to face him. Or," I commented, thinking of my dreams, "_has _to face him." I made to walk away. I needed some time to cool off.

"Bella, wait, I forgot!"

"Yeah, I got that, Harry."

"Wait, Bella, what do you mean _has _to face him?" I turned to face a confused Hermione. I then turned to stare at Harry.

"You didn't tell them?" I was shocked. He had been so mad at me after our first year that I was positive that he was going to tell them everything bad he could think of.

Harry shook his head.

I thought for a few seconds. "Tell them now," I ordered, before making my way up to bed, despite the time.

* * *

_I was running again. Bloody hell, can't I do anything else in my dreams? Only this time I was running up a stone staircase to an archway in the center. A gossamer curtain swayed gently in a breeze felt nowhere else in the room, and I felt an uncanny dread flood my body. I stopped before the arch, and stared up at it. There were voices, almost unintelligible at first, growing steadily stronger. I felt like I was searching for something. I reached out my hand to pull back the curtain..._...and sat up gasping.

I had to stop doing this. I got up and pressed my face against the cool glass, glancing out over the landscape. It was slightly after six, so everyone was at dinner.

Once I was dressed, I grabbed one more thing and snuck down the stairs. The Common room was empty, so I didn't need to sneak past anyone there.

I arrived at my destination outside a few minutes later. The Quidditch Pitch was empty, so I had the whole thing to myself. I needed to fly low, just in case someone was watching from the window.

Swiftly, I mounted my broom and took off. I had not been able to fly like I wanted to since my first year at Hogwarts. Since Harry had gotten the Seeker position on the team, I realized that if I said I wanted to fly, too, people would think I was doing it out of jealousy or something. And I couldn't try out for the Keeper position now because Ron wanted that. So I would just content myself with stolen moments like this.

The hair whipped through my hair, and I relaxed. I leaned forward slightly and shot forward. My _Firebolt_, while only acquired a year ago, had not had much fly time in the restricted area of Forks. I had only been able to steal a few moments or so when I could. I had even had to place a spell on me so Alice wouldn't see me. The downside of the spell was that it made me disappear off of her radar, and that usually freaked her out, so I couldn't do it that often.

I loved this feeling. I could truly stay up in the sky forever. The freedom...it was intoxicating. It was also dangerous in large doses. Sighing, I headed back down to the ground, noticing by my watch that most people would be heading back to their Common rooms now.

* * *

Hermione was able to restrain herself (barely) from mentioning the Defense Against the Dark Arts club for two whole weeks. Harry had finished the rest of his detentions, Ron had continued with his Quidditch practices, and I had had no more dreams of the archway or Voldemort.

We were sitting in the library working on Potions homework when Hermione spoke. "Harry, I was wondering whether you'd thought any more about DADA."

Harry nodded. He did not speak for several seconds. "Well," he replied slowly, not able to stall any longer, "yeah, I ˗ I have." He stopped.

"And?" Hermione was apparently less patient than she had let on.

He nodded slightly. "Just you three, right?" Now Hermione looked uncomfortable.

"Well, I was really thinking...that you should teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, it doesn't seem fair if we don't let other people chose if they want to or not."

Harry thought. "Okay, but I don't think many people will actually take you up on that offer. You do remember everyone thinks I'm of my rocker, remember?"

"I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested, Harry. How about I get some people together that October Hogsmeade weekend? We can talk it over then." Harry thought for a few seconds, then nodded.

* * *

The day of the Hogsmeade visit came around quicker than I ever expected. "Where are we going anyway?" I asked Hermione as we picked our way over the uneven ground.

"Oh, right. I've told the others to meet us in the Hog's head, that other pub. I wouldn't really have chosen it as my first choice, but students don't normally go there, so we won't be overheard."

The place was definitely nothing like the Three Broomsticks, which was always quite warm and clean. The bar was one tiny, dingy, dirty room. I distinctly remember that this was where Hagrid had met someone who had sold him the dragon egg in our first year. It wouldn't have seemed quite as out of place as I thought, in a place like this. Two people sat at a table in one of the corners, while another man sat at the bar. A witch sat in the corner, completely wrapped up in black veils.

The barman stepped up from a back room. "Yes?" he grunted.

"Four butter beers, please," ordered Ron.

He pulled out some very dusty bottles from beneath the counter and slammed them on the bar.

Ron handed over the money that Harry handed him, before we made our way to a larger table in the corner. I slid in between Harry and Ron.

The door of the pub opened only a few moments later. Neville and Dean were first, followed by Lavendar, Parvati and Padma Patil, and (oh great) Cho and one of her friends tripped in laughing. Next Luna, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnett, Angelina Johnson, the Creevey brothers, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Zacharias Smith, Hannah Abbott, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Terry Boot came in one ungodly mass of coats, tangled scarves, and slush covered boots. Ginny, the twins, and their friend Lee were the last to arrive.

"A few people? Hermione!" Harry snapped.

"Yes, well the idea seemed somewhat popular. Ron, do you want to pull up more chairs?"

"Hi, can we have twenty-five butter beers? All right, you lot, hand over the gold."

Once everyone was situated, everyone looked at Harry.

"Er˗ hi," Hermione started. Everyone shifted their gaze to Hermione, to Harry's relief. "I had the idea that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts ˗ and I mean the real stuff, not the rubbish that Umbridge is trying to feed us˗ well, because that isn't really useful to anyone" ˗ "Hear, hear," quipped Anthony Goldstein˗ "I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands."

Michael Corner piped up, "You lot want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too, right?"

"Yes," agreed Hermione, "but I also think that we have a bigger reason to know how to defend ourselves. And that is because," she paused, "because Lord Voldemort is back."

"I think we should know what makes _him_ say that he's back," objected Zacharias Smith. I noticed him glance my way for a split second. What was that all about?

"Well, Dumbledore believes what Harry says˗" Hermione started.

"I mean, where is the _proof_?"

"That isn't really why I wanted to meet here for˗"

"It's okay, Hermione." Harry had stood up.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who is back? I saw him. I _faced _him. But if you don't believe Dumbledore about what happened and you don't believe me? I'm not going to waste the afternoon convincing you. If the only reason you've come here is because you want to hear all about it then clear out. If that's all you are looking for..."

The whole group collectively held its breath. Harry cast an annoyed look in Hermione's direction. Hey, it's not _her _fault that Zacharias is a git, now is it? But still, no one moved an inch.

"So˗" Hermione continued. "So like I was saying, if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out what we're going to do and where˗"

"Is it true," Susan Bones interrupted, "that you you produce a Patronus, Harry?" Harry nodded.

"A corporeal Stag patronus?

"Er, yeah, it is." There was a stirring around the table.

"Blimey, Harry!" Lee piped up. "I never knew that!"

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?"

"...yeah," sighed Harry. Someone let out a low whistle. The Creevey brothers grinned at each other. Oh, I had forgotten about Harry's fan boys.

Everyone began to talk. "And in our first year he saved that Stone!" piped up Neville.

"And not to mention all the tasks he went through in the Triwizard Tournament last year," added Cho. I noticed that Harry had turned slightly pink at the ears when Cho had spoken.

The table at large seemed quite impressed. Oh great, now Harry is going to go all modest again.

"Look, guys. It sounds great when you say it like that, but the truth was that, when I was in those moments, I had a whole load of help."

"Not with the dragon last year, and the egg," Michael Corner prompted. True.

"Or the dementors," added Susan Bones. I had forgotten that Madam Bones, her Auntie, was on the Wizengamot and had been at Harry's hearing.

"Are you going to try and get out of teaching us?" demanded Zacharias.

"Shut up," Ron stated. Zacharias turned bright red.

"I only meant that we all came to learn from him, and now he keeps going on about how he can't do anything."

"That isn't what he said," growled Fred Weasley.

"Would you like a free ear cleaning?" added George, pulling out a rather scary looking instrument from a Zonko's Joke Shop bag.

"Yes, well, ˗" Hermione resumed, trying to diffuse the bomb, "the point is, are we agreed that we want to take lessons from Harry?"

Everyone nodded. "I think we should have the lessons only once a week."

"Although we need to make sure it doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice," urged Angelina.

"Nor ours," added Cho.

"Or ours," put in Zacharias.

"We'll figure something out, although I do believe that protecting ourselves is somewhat more important˗" Hermione added.

"Well put!" barked Ernie, the one who had declared his belief in Harry that time near the greenhouse. "Personally, I believe that this is extremely important. Possibly more important than our O.W.L.s! I am quite at a lost as to why the Ministry of Magic has forced onto us such a useless teacher like Umbridge at this important year for us. I mean, to give us a teacher that is actually trying to prevent us from using defensive spells at all˗"

Ooh, I'll tell them! "We believe that Umbridge, and others in the Ministry for that matter, have gone paranoid and think that Dumbledore is forming an army against the Ministry out of the students," I declared. Everyone turned to stare at me. I smiled serenely back at them.

Everyone once again began talking. I decided to get everyone to pay attention to Hermione again. "_Hem, hem_," I coughed, imitating Professor Umbridge. Several people looked around, and then laughed. "Weren't we trying to decide how often we are meeting?"

"Right," repeated Hermione hastily. "I think we should meet once a week."

"Sounds good to me."

"The only problem is where we are going to meet..." Nobody had any ideas.

We decided to come up with that later. Hermione had the people sign a piece of paper, which a few people did quite hesitantly. We then headed back up to the castle. I wasn't sure what Harry, Hermione, and Ron were talking about, although Ron sounded quite unhappy. I was too lost in my own thoughts, as Harry seemed to be too.

Why had I agreed to go along with this? I knew that something like this could only end badly, and I was not sure I could deal with all that right now.

"Bella? Are you coming?" I shook my head to forget my thoughts and quickly caught up to the others. I could not have denied my friends, anyway. We stuck together no matter what.


	8. Dumbledore's Army

**Okay, so here is the deal. I have been writing this story for quite a while before I posted it. I will not be updating seven chapters at a time; that would be completely insane. I am, however, making this my number one priority. However, I truly need your reviews as motivation. It always sparks my imagination just that much more with each review I get. Thank you for the people who have already reviewed, I truly appreciate it!**

**Chapter 8: Dumbledore's Army**

I stood there staring at the bulletin board, not quite able to believe my eyes. I blinked. The same words swam back into focus. Okay. That is it. Our new High Inquisitor had passed a new Educational Decree, Number Twenty-four, saying that all school organizations were banned. We also had to ask permission from Umbridge if we would like them to be reformed.

By the time the remainder of my friends came downstairs, I was thoroughly scared. How had she found out? Would she confront us?

"What's wrong?" asked Ron. I sighed and gestured in the direction of the Bulletin Board. He headed over, followed by a curious Harry and Hermione.

Hermione was the first to finish reading, and she came over and joined me on the couch. "Great. First, we can't find a place to practice. Now, our club is illegal. How are we going to find a secret room? Because that looks like the only way we could practice without Umbridge finding out–"

"Hermione, you are a _genius_!" She turned a light pink color, then started mumbling something incomprehensible.

"Not that we don't all know how fantastically amazing Hermione is, but what exactly is she a genius for this time?" Fred inquired as he strolled over and plopped down on the couch next to us, with George following close behind. Hermione went from pink to a dark red.

"She reminded me of a place that we can practice in! And I bet even you two haven't found it yet."

George and Fred raised their eyebrows simultaneously. "Well, if this place is as great as you are making it out to be–"

"– maybe you should be out partner in crime," finished Fred.

"Well I hope the entrance is somewhat easy to explain, because we are going to be bombarded by the rest of the club soon," Harry informed us from behind me. He and Ron were standing behind the couch, looking across the room.

Neville, Dean, and Ginny all made their way over to us. "So what's the plan?" demanded Ginny. "Umbridge seems to be on to us." Neville glanced at her.

"We are still going to do it," I stated. Everyone looked at me. "I know of a place we can practice where Umbridge can't get in."

Over the course of the day all of the defense group's members from other houses were informed to make their way to the seventh floor corridor at seven o'clock the following night.

I led Harry, Hermione, and Ron there during our free period. I told them to wait as I walked back and forth before the blank wall three times. In my head I chanted _I need a place where we can practice defense magic without anyone getting in_. on my third pass a large wooden door materialized I the wall. Hermione gasped, while Ron whispered, "Bloody hell."

The Room of Requirement had grown quite large. It was lined with mirrors on two sides and book shelves on the others. The floor was padded, and a large metal practice dummy stood in one corner.

Hermione ran off to examine the books, while Ron and Harry went over to the dummy. I plopped down on one of the bean bags in the corner.

"This is…" Hermione began. She trailed off, shaking her head. I grinned.

* * *

The next night I was the first to arrive. Hermione and Ron were standing outside at each end of the hall as lookouts, while Harry was following everyone's progress on the Marauder's Map.

At last everyone had arrived safely, and were now seated on the beanbags the room had provided. Everyone looked at Harry, until Hermione cleared her throat. They switched their gazes to her.

"Alright then. Welcome to the first official meeting of this defense club. Well, first I think– yes Cho?" I turned to look at the Ravenclaw seeker, who sat with her hand up in the air.

"I think," she declared, "that we should officially elect a leader and vote on a name for this club." Yeesh, what is this, student council?

"Okay," Hermione agreed. "All in favor of Harry leading the club?" Every single hand in the room went up. Well that did a lot of good.

"Actually," Ginny suggested slowly. I noticed Cho turn to glare at her. Wow, that was unexpected. "I think that we should have co-leaders."

"Alright, then who do you suggest?" Hermione asked, looking almost like she already knew the answer.

"I think that Bella should be our co-leader." I looked at Ginny in shock. Say what?

"Who agrees with that?" And every hand in the room went up. Um…this is new. Even Cho raised her hand, although she didn't look too thrilled about it.

"Then Harry and Bella are our leader." I noticed Harry's ears turning pink again. I rolled my eyes. "Now for a name. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Immediately Cho piped up, "I believe that we should call it the Defense Association or DA for short."

Ooh! That gave me an idea! "Hey! I have an idea. How about instead of Defense Association, DA stands for Dumbledore's Army?" There were murmurs of approval all around.

"Dumbledore's Army it is." Hermione went over to the list of members, which was now posted on the wall, and scrawled "Dumbledore's Army" across the top.

* * *

The DA's meeting began with reviewing the basic defense spells, starting off with the Disarming Charm. When Zacharias Smith (this boy is really pissing me off) whined once again about how _Expelliarmus _won't do much against a Death Eater, Harry informed him that the spell had in fact saved his life last year. At least that shut him up.

Harry and I demonstrated once how the spell was performed, each letting the other disarm us once. After that, we all split off into pairs. Since Harry and I were the leaders, we walked around and corrected people. Quite a few people were horrible at the spell to tell you the truth. I guess it truly was a good thing that Harry had told us to review this one.

Harry actually was as good a teacher as Hermione, Ron and I had expected. He was patient with the people who were very nervous, and soon everyone seemed to be improving. At one point he blew a whistle and gave some general advice, after which everyone returned to practicing.

After a while I noticed that Harry was trying to help Cho. She had been doing perfectly fine when I had walked over there, but now she was doing quite horribly. I must say that she has not mastered the art of subtlety.

Zacharias Smith was quite horrible at the spell, too. And it wasn't just when Harry tried to help him, either. And wasn't he the one who complained earlier? Whiny little git.

"Zacharias, stop for a minute. Hold on, Ernie." He stopped and turned to look at me. "Try bending your elbow a little more, you have your arm locked. Lower your aim a little to his chest, not his head. And concentrate on exactly what you wish to happen. Now try it."

"_Expelliarmus_!" Ernie's wand flew out of his hand and flew in our direction. I caught it in my left hand, and then tossed it back to him. I patted Zacharias once on the shoulder before heading off.

At last we had to call time, for if we did not hurry we would miss curfew. We decided to figure out a date for the next meeting, then inform everyone then. Once everyone had made it safely back to their rooms, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I headed off to our own tower. I made my way up to bed and fell asleep immediately.

* * *

For me, after that first meeting time just sort of flowed forward. Umbridge continued to make educational Decrees while the DA rebelled against her without her knowledge. Fred and George, as the pranksters that they are, vowed to never make it easy for their new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and played numerous pranks on the old bat. I helped, of course. I mean, who wouldn't want to help irritate off Umbridge?

The easy forward motion of life came to a screeching halt when I found another note.

_Dear Beauty,_

_I saw you again today. Your splendor dazzled me, and I reveled in your radiance. Someday I hope that we may talk in person, with you knowing who I am. I await that day with longing._

_ On a sadder note, I noticed that I am not alone in my affections for you. Do not despair, for I plan to rid ourselves of the unneeded threat. I bid you not to worry; all shall be taken care of. _

_ In truth, you are my one reason for remaining here in these drafty halls. Without you, my time here would be a sunless day. You are the light of my existence._

_ Sometimes I find myself gazing upon you, praying for the day that we can at last be together. I hope that that day may come soon._

_ My heart belongs to you, my rose_

This time the note was upon my pillow. This scared me to the extreme, as boys were prevented from entering the girl's dormitory with a spell. I decided to keep this note a secret from everyone except Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had given Harry and I a special password to use if we ever needed to speak with him immediately. I stood before the stone gargoyles and, making sure no one was around, whispered, "pervenio pro victoria." The gargoyles stepped aside, and I traveled upward.

Dumbledore was seated when I entered, but he rose to his feet once he saw me. Maybe my expression was not quite as composed as I had believed.

"Bella, what is it?" I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I shut my mouth, shook my head, and walked forward to hand him the letter.

As he read it, his forehead furrowed in worry. I plopped down in the chair before his desk, too freaked out to worry about manners at this point.

"Bella," the Headmaster spoke at last. I glanced up. "Bella, I am going to do everything in my power to find out who is sending these notes. Have you told anyone else about this one?" I shook my head. "Alright then. I am going to keep this and perform some spells on it to see if I can find something. In the mean time I would like you to be careful."

I nodded again, and stood up to leave. "Thank you, Professor."

He smiled sadly at me. "I hope we get to the bottom of this."


	9. Visions to Nightmares

**Chapter 10: Visions to Nightmares**

My dream was quite disturbing that night, even by my standards. I was sucked into it the second my head laid against the pillow.

_It started out with me walking down a hallway, glancing over my shoulder every couple of seconds. Torches lined the dark walls, leading down the corridor to a door…_

_ Then I was in a meadow, _the _meadow, with someone standing directly before me. When I tried to see his face, I couldn't they kept blurring between two different faces. One had piercing emerald eyes and a lightning bolt scar, while the other had pale, chiseled features with topaz eyes…_

_ The dream changed again, and I stood in a room completely devoid of any furniture except for one tall freestanding mirror before which I stood. Looking into its polished surface I did not see myself. Instead I saw a woman around the age of thirty with shining gray eyes and brown curling hair. She looked so familiar… but where had I seen her?_

_ A snake slithered across cobblestones, sticking out its tongue to smell the air. The image of a man flashed in the air above it, although he could hardly be called human. He grinned down through red slit eyes. The snake flicked its tongue once more, then continued on._

_ I felt myself slowly merging with the snake, our beings becoming closer and closer, until at last our minds were interlinked. Vaguely I felt a third presence, but it receded into the outer edges of my awareness._

_ I felt the cold stone floor sliding past below my scaly body, an unpleasant sensation for a cold-blooded creature. However, I could never disappoint my Master, so I forged on._

_ Presently my forked tongue found the scent I was searching for, and I pressed on with a new sense of urgency._

_ I slid forward across the floor to find my target. I could smell the blood boiling through his veins, and I flicked my tongue in anticipation. I pulled back my head, then struck again and again and again…_

I sat bolt upright in my bed, my heart pounding in my ears. A searing pain overtook me, and I curled in on myself.

Presently I became aware of a drawn out shrieking noise. Hermione stared at me from across the room, and then jumped out of bed to grab my shoulders.

"Bella! Bella, what is it?" Hello?" But I could not reply in any way at all. The pain was growing stronger, engulfing me in a searing cloak.

The lights were on by now, and quite a few of the other girls had made it to our room. They all clamored around, asking what was going on and staring at me. Then the door opened once again, and Professor McGonagall herself swept into the room. The talking fell silent, but the screaming continued.

The Professor paid no attention to the other girls but made her way quickly to my bedside. "Ms. Granger, do you know what it is? Ms. Black, can you hear me? What is it? Why are you screaming?"

And then at last I understood what should have been apparent. _I _was the one screaming. _I _was the one who had woken everyone up. Yet even though I now knew that I was shrieking, I could not stop. The sound seemed ceaseless.

But now the pain reached new levels, and my vision began to blur. From somewhere far off I heard a malicious laugh…

Then the noise cut off. The pain stopped. But I could no longer move. I could not speak, I could not see, and I could not prevent myself from slumping backwards.

My memory was a jumble from then on. At one point I felt myself being lifted, and then lay down. The voices around me were a jumble, bleeding together from one to the next. Only two stood out.

At one point, when I was thinking a bit more clearly than the rest of the time, I noticed that the once empty room was now occupied by someone other than me. Someone who was making their way towards me. The footsteps were of someone attempting to pass unheard, and yet I my ears they echoed like drum beats. They stopped directly beside where I lay.

Someone's cold hand reached out to stroke my forehead, and I long ed to lean away. While not as cold as his, the temperature reminded me too much of Edward. Then the person spoke. "Oh darling, forgive me. I was not aware of what would happen. I meant only to cause you to sleep until the time when I could remove the one who stands between us, but the spell was much stronger than I had foreseen."

The words sent cold chills down my spine, as did the deep male voice. _This _was the one who had written those notes!

"Even in sleep your beauty is astounding. You truly are a magnificent creature, my Bella." He began to stroke my forehead.

The sudden closing of a door startled my visitor, and me. He muttered, "Damn," then quickly scurried off somewhere to my right.

Another set of feet was now journeying across the room towards me. They stopped directly to the right of my head, and for a moment I thought that it would be someone else that had come to bother me, but I relaxed once I heard them speak.

"Ms. Black, why is it always you and Mr. Potter who end up in here the most?" Madam Pomfrey sighed. So I was in the Hospital Wing.

She of course did not expect an answer, and moved on to straighten my pillows, tuck me in, and check my temperature with her wand. And then she left, and I was alone with my thoughts once again.


	10. Seeing Red

**A/N I went back over my chapter and decided that I wanted to rewrite a few things. So I did. This is not a new chapter update, just a correction of chapter 10. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry or Bella or the twins (sob) or any of the Twilight and Harry Potter characters. Or the settings. Or any of the original plotline. You get the picture.**

**Chapter 10: Seeing Red**

After Madam Pomfrey gave me some potion (the likes of which I could not swallow by myself), I faded in and out of consciousness. I was not quite sure who was around me or what they were doing, nor for how long I had been in this state. And then someone else decided to visit me in my comatose state.

"Hey." It was Harry. His familiar voice, rougher than usual, paused for a second as he swallowed. _He's nervous _I realized.

"Just in case you can hear me, because Madam Pomfrey said that you might be able to, I've decided that I'm going to update you on everything that's happened since you…" he trailed off, and I wished that he would continue.

"It's been three days, you know." If I had been able to, I would have shot up and gasped. However, the paralysis still existed.

"Bella, you really don't know what you've missed," he snorted. "Hermione and Ron are quarrelling again, and Fred and George are thinking up new products for their joke shop. We….we all really miss you."

It was sometime quite later that the pain returned. This time I was not able to scream at all, and I could only scream within my mind. It increased to unbearable levels, just like the last time, before the pain suddenly went away and I could move.

I gasped for air, sitting straight up as fast as I could. Looking around I realized that it was night time. How long had I been unconscious?

The sound of my waking had apparently been loud enough to alert Madam Pomfrey, as she bustled in wearing a brocaded dressing gown of blue and pink. The light scratching of her slippers sounded strange to my newly reawakened ears, and the light from her lamp did the same to my eyes.

"Deary, you gave us all quite a fright!" she chided me as she handed me a glass of water. Until I saw it I had not been aware of how parched I was. I drank it down greedily.

While she checked me over and gave me a noxious potion to drink I though back on how I had gotten into this situation in the first place. The strange dreams, the pain, the laughter…

Presently Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were fetched. I learned that I had now in fact been in the coma for five days. As to how I had, no one was sure. Although I _did _have a few ideas.

I decided against informing anyone of the dreams or the laughter at the present time, as I was not sure what good that would do. And as for _him_, the one who had cast the spell on me, it didn't sound like he was the one who had caused the pain, just the coma. Someone else, a very obvious someone else, had taken advantage of the situation and caused the excruciating pain. I wasn't sure where the weird dreams had come from, though.

I was released from the Hospital Wing the next day, after Madam Pomfrey was completely reassured that I wouldn't relapse. I was told to check in with her every couple of days to be sure, and then sent off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

My return to the Gryffindor table was one of celebration, despite my protests. I was greeted as a returning hero, not someone who had been unconscious for no apparent reason.

Something seemed different though. Whenever I looked around, Harry would quickly turn away, as if he was looking at me. I was rather confused as to why that would be, but I sort of brushed it off as nothing.

It was two weeks before the holiday break, a time where we could go home and relax (away from the prying eyes of Professor Umbridge.) However I had something I had to find out and I knew just the place to get my answers.

I crept along the hallway. Finally I came upon the seventh floor corridor. I then began to pace back and forth before the hidden entryway, chanting in my head, "I need somewhere where I can find out information…"

On the third pass, a door formed in the wall. I opened it and stepped inside.

The Room of Requirement had responded to my needs perfectly. Behind the wooden door was a well-stocked library with a comfortable couch. I closed the door carefully behind me, then went to look at the nearest shelf. It was filled with all forms of books.

I searched along the stacks until I found the correct one. "_Dreams and All Their Properties._"

I sat down upon the comfy couch and began to read.

_Dreams are different between the Muggle world and the Wizarding World. In the Muggle world, a dream is a succession of thoughts, images, sounds or emotions which the mind experiences during sleep. In the magical world, however, they are quite different. Our dreams are created by our magical aura; the same aura that gives us the ability to cast spells. Therefore, our dreams are more true and accurate, and hold the possibility to be visions of the future. That isn't to say that all of the dreams we dream are predictions. On the contrary, most of the time the dreams we dream are merely figments of our imagination. But not all of them._

_Somewhat like a seer's prophecy, dream premonitions are not at all straight forward. For example; legend holds that King Croesus of Lydia went to war over the Oracle's prediction that if he battled the Persians a great army would fall. Unfortunately for him, the army in question turned out to be his own. Quite a lot of the time they are only flashes, short seconds with vague and nebulous pictures, sometimes seeming completely unrelated._

_Our magical aura is what separates us from the Muggles. Without it, we would be exactly the same. And while the origin of the magical aura is unknown, there are still some valid theories as to where it came from. (Flip to page 392 to read more about this.)_

_When we witches and wizards dream, our dreams come from the magic of our aura seeping into the region of our brain in which dreams originate. The more powerful your aura, the more likely this is to happen, although the likelihood is still quite low. If you are exceptionally powerful, you may also see premonitions and visions outside of your dreams._

_Some famous Seers, such as Madam Jez Attilia were so powerful that they had vivid premonitions outside of sleeping that were so overwhelming that they drove them insane. _

_On the across page we have provided a chart for the divination of your dreams._

I closed the book, rubbing my forehead. Wonderful. Bloody hell.

Someone was screaming.

I awoke in the dark to the fact, and for a split second I believed that it was me again. I quickly realized, however, that it was not. Besides, the voice was male.

It had been over a week since I had found the Dream book, and I had almost believed that things would return to normal. I was wrong. As fast as I could I jumped out of bed and ran towards the stairs. The sound of footsteps behind me alerted me to the presence of Hermione. Across the Common Room and up the Boy's dormitory stairs I went, Hermione hot on my heels.

Harry lay on the floor, half tangled in his sheets, writhing in pain. Ron stood beside him, attempting to untangle him from the bedding.  
I ran forward to kneel beside him. His scar stood out against his pale clammy forehead. Almost afraid of what might happen, I brushed my hand against the livid red lightning bolt. Immediately I was swept up into a familiar vision, only this time from a different perspective.

I stood off to the side as the snake slithered forward, the shadow of that dark conscience urging it forward. And now I recognized what I had not realized before. The man, the one who was about to be attacked, was Mr. Weasley.

Despite the fact that I could still feel Harry's skin beneath my fingertips, I could not move them to free myself from this ghastly nightmare. I had to wait…and watch.

The attack was much more horrifying this time around, because now I knew the victim. He was the father of my friends. He had respected me enough to include me in important discussions, and hadn't tried to leave me protected and ignorant.

At last the vision ended, and I was released so quickly that I fell backwards to land on the floor. Harry's thrashing had stopped, and he lay there heaving.

"Get Professor McGonagall," I croaked. Hermione fled. As standing was more than I could handle at the moment, I grabbed onto the corner of a bedpost and leaned against it.

We ended up in Professor Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore raced down the stairs from the room above. He immediately began asking what had happened, but harry was only semi-conscious, and I was still recovering.

By the time I had regained my ability to speak, Harry was much more awake and not quite as pale, though he was still far from normal color. I turned towards Dumbledore to find him staring at me. He did not speak for a moment, and then asked, "Ms. Black, explain what has befallen you and Mr. Potter. Now, if you please."

I nodded. I glanced at Ron out of the corner of my eye, and then looked at the floor. "Professor Dumbledore, I believe that something terrible has occurred. Mr. Weasley has been attacked."

The Professor froze for a moment before springing into action. "Generva, please rouse the rest of the Weasley children and bring them to my office. Do not tell them what has occurred. I shall do that." I heard the door open and close behind me.

Dumbledore turned to one of the previous Headmaster's paintings hung on the wall and spoke to him in a low, urgent voice. The former headmaster nodded and exited his portrait.

I turned towards Ron to find him sitting in an armchair with his head in his hands. When I placed my hand on his shoulder he flinched out from beneath it, so regretfully I pulled it back.

Once the Headmaster had taken care of everything he had to do, he strode over to me and demanded the details. I told him only of what had occurred tonight. When he asked about the event from before, I hesitated. "I do not believe I should tell you about that at the present time, sir." I glanced at Harry for a second.

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well then."

Yeah, I know. You're probably thinking, "What? Are you insane? Why the bloody hell wouldn't you tell him about that?" To tell you the truth, I was ashamed. I could have prevented it. I could have done _something_.

The door opened again and I turned to find the rest of the Weasley family filing in along with Hermione, who had her arm around Ginny's shoulders. The normally smiling twins had matching expressions of worry, and Ginny's eyes were bloodshot and red.

Professor McGonagall spelled a Portkey to take us to Saint Mungo's Hospital. I was so tired that I had to lean against Harry so that I could grab the Portkey.

The family all rushed up to where Mr. Weasley was being treated. Hermione, Harry, and I all sat down in one of the waiting rooms, so as not to get in the way of the family. At some point I drifted off to sleep to dreams of red slit eyes and dark hallways.


	11. Snake Attack and Regulus Black

Chapter 10:

Tick.

Tick.

Tick. The waiting was pure agony. It was horrible to not know if Mr. Weasley would be okay. Every noise in the room was exceptionally loud. The tapping of a pencil was like heavy footfalls across the floor, and the incessant ticking of the clock sounded like a hammer against my skull.

Pure. Torture.

Harry, Hermione and I had barely said two words to each other since we had arrived, and yet the tension in the air was palpable.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

I shifted in my seat a little, then sighed. No matter how much I moved I could not be comfortable. Not at a time like this.

"Are you three here for Mr. Weasley?" I looked up at the young witch who stood there with a clipboard in her hand, a scroll of paper floating dutifully behind her as she stepped forward. I nodded, rising from my seated position.

"He is completely stable now, and is awake. He will have to stay here for a few days, but we are quite positive that he will make a full recovery. The family is with him now, but would you like to see him?"

After nodding in affirmation the three of us followed her as she headed through the crowded hallway and into a lift. We were all limp with relief at the news that Mr. Weasley was okay.

At last the lift doors opened on the Attacks by Magical Organisms Level (or whatever they called it). We filed out and followed the witch once more until at last we stopped before a numbered room. The lady knocked on the door, then stepped back as it opened.

Mrs. Weasley bustled out and gave both Harry and I a huge hug, whispering "I can't thank you enough for helping him."

She led the three of us into the room, which was quite full. Ron sat in a chair in the corner, his head in his right hand, asleep. Fred and George stood by the window, examining something and showing it to Ginny. And at the center of it all sat Mr. Weasley.

He seemed a bit paler than usual, and he was certainly not as active as when I had last seen him, but he smiled at us when we walked in. "Harry! Bella! Hermione! How are you? I wanted to ask the three of you something. I was looking through an odd Muggle shop the other day and I found the most _extraordinary _―" I spoke too soon.

"As you can see," muttered Mrs. Weasley, "the attack has not deterred his personality any. Arthur, dear," she continued, raising her voice. "I am sure that it was quite interesting, but do you really think this is the best time?"

"Well, perhaps not," he agreed, looking slightly put off at not being able to interrogate Hermione, Harry, and I about the complexity of ordinary Muggle items.

I walked forward, unable to hold myself back any longer, and gave Mr. Weasley a hug, careful to avoid his injury. He seemed quite startled, which was to be expected, but returned the hug never the less.

"My dear Bella, as much as I am enjoying this hug, what is the reason for this?"

Not wishing for everyone else in the hospital room to hear, I whispered. "I am so so sorry, Mr. Weasley. This is all my fault. If I had just―"

"Now you listen to me, Isabella Black." My eyes widened. I had never heard him sound this serious before. "This is in absolutely _no way _your fault. Do you understand? I was there for a specific reason, and I knew the dangers when I undertook the assignment." I nodded, my eyes still full of tears.

Once I had calmed down some more, we were told what was going on. Professor Dumbledore had told Professor Umbridge that he had received an owl late in the night informing him of Mr. Weasley's attack. He had gathered the Weasley children together, along with Harry, Hermione and I for moral support, and given us a Portkey that took us to St. Mungo's. It was as close to the truth as she was going to get, that was for certain.

Presently Tonks, Mad-Eye, Lupin, and Mundungus arrived, and Mrs. Weasley shooed all of us out so that the adults could confer. Even Hermione could not deny the usefulness of the Weasley twins' various creations when they produced several sets of Extendable Ears.

"…are you feeling, Arthur?" That was Tonks. "Nasty bite ya got there."

"I'm doing alright, and the healers said that I would be able to leave in about a week."

"That's good news," Lupin said quietly. "Can you tell us what happened, exactly?" Ginny shifted at my side, attempting to hear more.

"Basically what you heard from Harry and Bella would be correct. I didn't hear a thing until it was right on top of me."

"I feel so sorry for those poor kids," Tonks sighed. "To be forced to connect to Voldemort like that must be horrible. I mean, poor Harry feels his moods and sometimes what he's up to, and Bella…"

Here it comes. "…Bella talks to him, all the time. She can even perfectly remember the night that he killed Harry's parents! And she was only one year old, then. And along with that whole seeing the future business―"

I had heard quite enough at this point. I had hoped to keep most of that stuff to myself. Pulling the Extendable Ear out and dropping it on the floor, I turned and walked away. I could still see their terrified expressions though.

"Bella!" I ignored him.

"_Bella." H_e grabbed my arm, and I whipped around.

"What, Harry?"

He stared at me. "You see the future? And…and the night..."

I nodded. "Yes, Harry, I can see the future. I'm a freak. And even more so because I can completely recall every last detail of the night that ruined your life forever."

I marched away, not looking back.

I don't know who I was expecting to run into while wandering around the complex floors of St. Mungo's, but Neville Longbottom was not who came to mind.

He turned absolutely ashen at the sight of me, especially as his grandmother informed me in no sugar-coated terms that my first cousin once-removed had tortured Neville's parents into insanity with the Cruciatus curse.

I made sure, of course, that he knew I did not think any differently of him after learning this. We all went to the tea room after that, and I was given a firsthand introduction to Neville's formidable Grandmother.

Once I believed that I had probably been away long enough I returned to Mr. Weasley's room. I ignored everyone else until it was time to return home, and once we arrived I made my way up the stairs to the top floor of the house.

I decided that Sirius wouldn't exactly like me looking through his room, so I veered right until I came to a stop before a dark wooden door with an engraved plaque on the front. The room belonged to Regulus Arcturus Black. I didn't know much about my uncle, as he had passed away long before I was born.

All I knew was that he was a Death Eater.

His room was quite dusty after so many years of being uninhabited, yet it looked like it had not been altered since then. The walls were hung with various Slytherin hangings and Black family crests, as if he strived to show how different he was than his brother.

I approached the bookshelf beside the bed, leaning forward to look at a picture resting there. Blowing away the dust I realized why it had looked vaguely familiar. It was a picture of a Quidditch team.

Sitting in the very center of the group in the front row was Regulus. It was odd to see someone who looked so similar to my father, and yet so different at the same time.

From the floor below me there was a sudden bang, and Grandma Walburga began screeching her obscenities again. I decided that I would return at a later time to investigate my uncle's room.

**I'm so sorry about the wait, I have been **_**so **_**busy lately. **

**Also, I wanted to know if anyone wanted to be my beta. PM or review if you do.**

**Click the little button. You know you want to…**


	12. Locket and a Lake

**Author note: Hey people! Sorry for my sporadic updating and how short this is, but as most of you probably realize it is hard to write all the time. So thank you so much for your reviews and patience!**

**Disclaimer: Do I actually need to say it? This is fanfiction. Unless I'm J.K. Rowling and bored enough to mess with my characters online this much than I obviously don't own harry Potter. And I don't want to own Twilight, so there ya go.**

**Sonny13: I have something planned for Harry and Bella, don't fret. Also, you read my mind with the feature changing bit. **** Thank you for reviewing!**

The looks were the hardest part.

Being ignored was something I was still familiar with from my time in the Muggle World, so that part didn't bother me. But whenever I ran into one of them they had this expression on their faces, as if they couldn't decide whether to be scared or pitying. Usually it was both.

Lately my emotions had been so out of whack. Since I had woken up I had felt different, as if I had lost something important; however I had no idea why that would be.

Apparently when I got extremely emotional my appearance would change more. I woke up this morning with yellow eyes and purple and green hair. I needed a change, but not that drastic.

I turned my hair color a very dark black, more blue than my normal hair color. And I changed my eyes to a light green color, like the color of celery.

Not that anyone noticed the change.

Spending time by myself was something I did so much more as of late. I would spend hours at a time in the Black family Library, somewhere hardly ever entered by anyone either than Kreacher.

Strangely enough he was in fact my most common companion. While Hermione's Elf Rights club thing was annoying most of the time, she was correct about one thing. If you were a bit nicer to Kreacher, he wasn't as bad. That may have been the fact that I was a pureblood despite my traitor father. It was exceptionally scary when Kreacher informed me that I reminded him of his mistress, my Grandmother, at points. I hoped it wasn't too much.

During these times I also began to think about my mother. Who was she? What had happened to her? I knew that she had died of unnatural causes when I was a year old, but I didn't know anything else. My father refused to speak of her, and nobody else would if he didn't. So I was left in the dark.

The night that I had been at the Potters' house my father was away on an Order mission. When he showed up he asked Hagrid to watch after Harry and me for a day or two as he had something to take care of. (As Harry's godfather Sirius was his legal guardian after the death of his parents).

Of course this had been when he went after Wormtail and was arrested. I was placed in an orphanage for seven years. On my eighth birthday Remus took me in, although it was only for a year, as the Ministry believed I shouldn't be in the care of a werewolf. So I was moved to the Weasely family.

While all _my _friends had been avoiding_ me_, _I_ had been avoiding my _father_. Not that he actually noticed. It was apparent that Dad had been extremely overjoyed at the return of Harry to the house. For the past week he had been decorating the house with a frightening fervor, even placing Santa hats upon the house elves' decapitated heads.

I'm sure you're thinking, "You're being paranoid and jealous. He is probably just as happy to see you as he is to see Harry." And if you were basing it solely on what I had told you so far, your assumption would be plausible.

However Sirius hadn't even noticed when I walked in the house after we returned from St. Mungo's. He had immediately jumped out of his chair and dashed to see Harry. And he had done so practically every morning since. I hadn't even been at breakfast yesterday morning and he had not noticed.

Sometimes I was positive that Sirius had wanted a son. And Harry, Harry was the one he hadn't been able to have.

I sighed, leaning back into the armchair that I was resting in. Once again I was hiding in the library, flipping through a book on Seers that I had found among the dusty tombs.

Mrs. Weasley had been attempting to scourge the house since she had arrived; however she had not yet reached this room. I avoided walking along the edge of the library, as the drapes would occasionally twitch. The rattling from the top shelf of the cabinet in the corner was not reassuring either.

And yet something drew me towards it today. It was an old curio cabinet, the doors made of glass so as to display what lay behind them (they were too disgusting at the moment to display much of anything, though).

I pulled out my wand. "_Scourgify," _I whispered, waving it sharply at the glass. The majority of the grime disappeared.

The strange magical hum was coming from a locket lying upon a pillow on the second shelf, not evil, per say, but strangely alluring. Against my better judgment I opened the cabinet and lifted it from its velvet bed.

"Mistress must be careful." I jumped in shock, whirling around to find that Kreacher had entered the room while I was distracted. I was shocked to note that he looked quite concerned as he looked at the necklace grasped in my palm.

"Why is that, Kreacher?" I asked quietly, for some reason unable to speak any louder.

"A cursed piece that is, Mistress. Master Regulus told me to destroy it, he did. But I could not. Nothing Kreacher could do would even damage it." He looked almost ready to cry at this fact.

"Kreacher, can you tell me everything about it, please?" He looked at me in shock. It took me a second before I realized that probably no one had said please to him in a long time.

"Master Regulus was a Death Eater. Follower of the Dark Lord. Very proud my mistress was of him, as was Master Orion. Very proud."

Kreacher swallowed. He looked so much more human than I had ever seen him at this moment.

"But something was wrong, said Master Regulus. The Dark Lord was not only preserving the pure line as he claimed. More sinister intentions he had, Mistress." **(A/N Kreacher is a difficult for me to write.)**

"One day Master Regulus came and told Kreacher that the Dark Lord required an elf. Master Regulus offered Kreacher. Master Regulus told Kreacher to do what the Dark Lord said then come straight home. So's I did. The Dark lord took Kreacher to a strange cave hidden in the coast's cliffs. We wents inside, we did. And the Dark Lord cut his palm and smeared his blood on the rock wall. And the wall opened. An underground lake was there, in the dark. And the Dark Lord pulled on a chain and a boat rose up."

Kreacher began to breath heavier here, and I stepped forward, slightly alarmed. "We wents to an island in the middle of the lake, we did," Kreacher rasped. His eyes stared off into the distance, seeing it there still in his mind. "And there was a basin there, filled with a strange potion. And the…the Dark Lord bade Kreacher to drink it. And Kreacher drank it and he saw Mistress Black and Master Black and Master Regulus all dead, horribly murdered by the filthy Mudbloods," he hiccuped. "And Kreacher begged the Dark Lord to let Kreacher stop, and he only laughed and made me drink more and more…until the potion was all gone. And he dropped a locket into the basin, filled it back up with potion, and climbed back into the boat."

He went on to tell me of how he was left to die there, on that island in the middle of the lake, with hundreds of Inferi crawling out of the water. However House Elves have their own magic, and as Regulus had ordered Kreacher to return, Kreacher apparated back to the Black Mansion.

"Troubled, he was," Kreacher moaned, "when I told him what had happened. And he made me take him back there, to that cave. And Master ordered Kreacher, so Kreacher had to do what he said. And Master Regulus drank the potion and replaced the locket with a false one, and then he drank from the lake." Kreacher paused here, as tears were pouring down his face.

"And Master Regulus was dragged beneath the surface, down…down…" I could only stand there in shock. The tale that the House Elf had told me was disturbing. I held in my hand something that Voldemort had protected with extremely advanced magic. He did not want anyone to get to it, that was for sure. But why?

"Thank you, Kreacher," I whispered. He looked at me in shock. "I will do my best to destroy this, understand? And I would appreciate if you don't tell anyone else what you told me." He nodded before shuffling out of the room.

I sank back into the armchair, my mind spinning.

It was Fred who found me there at last. I had not moved since the departure of Kreacher.

"Bella?" he approached me cautiously. "Bella, are you okay?" I looked up, still in a daze. For some reason whatever he was saying was not registering in my head.

"You missed dinner, and everyone has been looking for you. Bella, hey."

Fred. Fred was like an older brother to me, as was George. But could I tell him about this? Could I tell _anyone _about this? Would they even trust me after what they found out about me?

"Am I a monster?" I asked before my brain registered what I was saying.

Fred looked at me in shock. "_What_? Why would you think that?" I looked back down at the locket that I had placed around my neck, fiddling with the chain.

"You know why," I whispered.

"Isabella Marie Black. Is _that _the reason you have been avoiding everyone?" I blinked up at Fred, stunned. Huh? I voiced my thought out loud.

"Bella, you stupid git, we _love _you. You're like another little sister to me, and I know that George, Bill, Percy, and Charlie all feel the same. Even if Percy is a jerk." I snorted. How true.

"Look, I get the fact that you are going through something right now that only Harry could come_ close_ to understanding, but that doesn't mean we are going to suddenly treat you differently. You didn't ask for this."

I lept up and hugged him. Although a dark cloud was hovering somewhere in the back of my mind he had in fact made me feel better.

"Now come on, everyone is worried about you. Hermione," Fred added, blushing. My eyebrows rose. "Hermione has been frantic for hours."

Hmm. Now this was interesting.

**Come on. I know you want to review my lovely readers. It makes my day! Also, suggestions on who the betrayer of the DA will be. I was originally going to have it be Cho Chang, but if any of you guys suggest something more interesting than I shall do that instead.**

**Peace**


	13. Tango Dancing and Snitch Catching

**Author note: Salutations, fellow fanfiction goers! I do sincerely apologize for the delay; life has been exceptionally hectic as of late. Hopefully this chapter will partially make up for it!**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it?**

**This chapter is dedicated to ****EvanescenceWhisper. Thank you for being an awesome friend to share fanfiction with!**

Quidditch. Harry had played the game since his first year at Hogwarts, and it had won him part of his world-renowned reputation. The Boy-Who-Lived is Hogwart's youngest seeker in over a century! The witches and wizards of Britain and beyond ate it up.

Of course this instilled a degree of competitiveness and protectiveness not fully realized in the young wizard savior that I only truly noticed recently. Let me go back and start from where I left off.

The extremely important Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match was coming up once we returned to Hogwarts, so Harry, Fred, and George began practicing on their brooms in the backyard along with assistance from Ron and Ginny.

Luckily for me this meant that Fred and George were not pestering me as much to tell them what was wrong, as they had been since Fred had discovered me hiding in the library. Sometimes the fact that there were two of them meant that they were exceptionally difficult to avoid.

It didn't help that I truly could not figure out why I was feeling the way I was lately. True, I had been upset about the whole Dad thing, but I shouldn't be feeling this horrible about it. I was becoming increasingly moody, closed-off, and depressed.

Something else that took up the majority of my time (when I was not avoiding the twins, that is) was the locket.

What did it mean? Why was it so important to Moldyvort? And why on earth had my uncle gone to such lengths to retrieve it?

It was strangely pretty, in a sinister sort of way. It was a large, silver, heart-shaped locket with an ornate S on the front. And unfortunately no matter what I did I could not, in fact, open it. Sometimes I would catch myself holding it in my hand, the chain twined around my arm, simply staring at the thing.

But it remained a mystery, and learning more about it would have to wait.

Another thing that had been occurring frequently was nightmares. My dreams, while normally prophetic in nature, were not usually that important, or ominous. But lately they had evolved into something completely out of the ordinary.

Long, shadow filled corridors with barely illuminated doors leading to something just out of reach.

Impressively draped halls with three dark thrones at one end and evil eyes hidden just out of sight.

And two faces…

One that left me angry, terrified, and confused all at once. A face with red slit eyes and pale, snake-like features.

The other, one unfamiliar to my conscious eyes, a strong-jawed man with chiseled features and green eyes that seemed to be laughing but held no warmth. And a scar, from ribcage to hip, red, jagged, puckered.

The dreams with the second man in them left me feeling chilled and petrified. He made me feel as if I was completely vulnerable and weak, unable to defend myself against the smallest of attacks.

It was not a feeling that I enjoyed.

Our return to Hogwarts was like that of conquering heroes after a great war.

Apparently we had been greatly missed.

We were greeted boisterously in the common room without the usual malicious vibes I had been picking up from some of our peers. Harry took it in stride, albeit with a faint blush covering his cheeks. I, however, avoided the spotlight, instead deciding to curl up in an unoccupied armchair with a book.

"Whatcha reading?" I looked up and found Fred sitting on one arm of the chair as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence. For him it probably was. I showed him the cover.

"_The Fantastical Guide to Visions and Dreams_? What the bloody hell are you reading that for?"

I laughed. "Fred, I understand that you and George are the _least _likely people on the planet to experience anything close to a vision, but not all of us are so lucky."

He shuddered. "Okay, no more talking." Fred suddenly leaned in unusually close and stared me in the eye. I gave him look for look.

"Isabella Marie Black. I, Frederick John Weasley, **(AN: I have no clue what his middle name is) **hereby challenge you to a battle. I propose a dance contest. What say you?"

I leaned in closer and whispered, "You're on." Fred grinned and held out his hand.

How we ended up doing the tango across the common room will forever elude me. But I must admit. It was fun.

Neither of us could stop laughing for long as we paraded around and through our scared and amused classmates. George, once he saw what we were doing, started humming a tango song under his breath. Fred quickly joined in, and the two of them began singing it louder. "Dun, dun, dun, dun, dududududu, dun, dun, dun, dun…" **(AN: Think La Cumparsita)** So much for avoiding the spotlight.

At long last I collapsed back into my armchair, and Fred squished in beside me, both of us still laughing. George waltzed off by himself, still humming under his breath.

"I do believe a draw is in order, my lady," Fred announced in a posh voice.

"I feel I must agree, dear sir, for I could not find fault with your performance." I held out my hand for him to shake and he did so, both of us with straight faces before we burst out laughing again. Once we had calmed down once more I sighed, leaning up slightly I kissed Fred on the cheek. "Thank you," I whispered. "I really needed that."

"You're welcome," he whispered back. "That's what brothers are for."

I smiled, my eyes slipping shut. I liked having a brother.

**Hermione's POV**

My heart shouldn't be breaking. The pain I was feeling at the sight of them leaning against each other, eyes closed, one of his arms holding her to him, should not exist.

Yet it was horribly obvious to me that it did exist and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

She was, after all, like my sister.

I could even see that I was not alone in feeling the way I did at the sight of them. Poor Harry. How did this happen without our noticing it? It felt as if it had come out of nowhere.

What was even worse was that neither Harry nor I had found the time to express our feelings for Izzy and Fred yet. Even his name filled my stomach with butterflies! How pathetic. And I wouldn't even get to do anything about it.

Love sure is a mess sometimes.

**Bella's POV **

George woke us up at a quarter to 12 and helped his dozing twin up the stairs. I stumbled up to my own room shortly after, unable to take off more than my belt and shoes before collapsing into bed. Unfortunately for me, I had Double Potions followed Defense Against the Dark Arts the next morning.

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Walking down to breakfast, I had the oddest feeling that something would occur today. I couldn't put my finger on it, so I decided to just push it to the back of my mind until later.

"Gooooooooood morning!" I looked up from where I had been staring at my toast to find George sitting next to me with a massive grin on his face.

"How are you so awake this early?" I tried to ask, the operative word being tried. It came out more like muttering. George snorted and then cocked his head to the side.

"Was that even English?" I gave him my best death glare. He continued, still smiling. "Well, unlike you and my dear brother Fred, I didn't sleep half the night in an armchair. I, being the intelligent twin, went and slept in my wonderfully comfortable bed. Although you two were quite adorable."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I wondered about whether or not the twins were alright in the head.

Snape was his usual bat-like self, swooping around the classroom on unsuspecting students. It took the majority of my willpower to not hex him when he made a comment about Neville's stupidity rubbing off on me. Just another day in potions.

Umbridge's class was horrid as well. She managed to be completely evil yet act like she was totally innocent the entire time. So we wrote more essays on theory while she perched on her stool with a disturbing little smile on her face. So nothing was odd about her either.

Harry and Hermione were acting strange, though, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Harry was being more moody and angsty than usual, and Hermione seemed as if she was avoiding me. Yet when I hesitantly asked her about it she stated that she was doing no such thing and that I was being paranoid.

Defensive. I decided to leave them both be for now. If they wanted to talk to me they would.

Miraculously Harry's temper did not flair up, meaning that he didn't receive a detention. The Quidditch game was the upcoming Friday, after all, and we couldn't afford to play without our Seeker.

The rest of the week was monotonous, slowly rolling forward as if it enjoyed our suffering.

Okay, so maybe that was a bit dramatic.

I had been spending increasing amounts of time with Fred and George, due to the combination of Harry and Hermione's behavior and the fact that the twins decided to take it upon themselves to cheer me up as much as possible. So we talked about anything and everything. It was nice to be able to let whatever was weighing me down off my chest. They comforted me when I talked about my dad, distracted me when I thought about Edward, and made sure that I knew I still had friends.

Harry and Hermione were still acting strangely, and that coupled with Ron's sudden infatuation with Lavender Brown meant that I didn't get to see them as much as usual. Ron was too busy mooning over her, and Harry and Hermione were definitely avoiding me now.

And then at last it was the day of the big game.

It was a nice day, the clouds completely covering the sun so that the players wouldn't be blinded, yet leaving quite enough light to see by. There was only a gentle breeze, and I walked up the stairs to the stands with Hermione. We found a spot in the first row next to Lavender. I quickly took the seat closest to her as, judging by the look Hermione was sending the girl, it would be a bad idea if I did not.

The teams trooped out onto the pitch shortly after we were all settled, and I cheered along with everyone else at the sight of them. Madam Hooch talked to both captains, they shook hands, and then were off.

It was quite difficult to keep track of everyone, and if it hadn't been for Lee's commentary I was not sure I would have been able to. Instead of attempting to follow the fast-paced movement of the Quaffle from player to player, I chose instead to listen to the commentary with one ear and keep an eye on Ron, Harry, and the twins. We had a couple of close calls in the first few minutes, one where Angelina was only an inch away from scoring. Ron blocked one and let one in, so the score was 0-10.

Harry was circling the pitch, as was Malfoy, and then finally he dived straight down from where he had been hovering above the Slytherin goalposts. Malfoy, who had been halfway across the pitch, quickly turned and streaked after him, and then they were neck and neck, Harry in front, Malfoy, Harry, and then Harry had it!

WHAM!

The entire Gryffindor side, along with most of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, booed as the whistle was blown. One of the Slytherin beaters had sent the Bludger in Harry's direction, catching him in the shoulder and knocking him off his broom to the ground ten feet below. I held my breath for a moment before releasing it in a gust. He was fine.

**Come on, its even longer than last time! **** Next chapter is going to be where everything starts heating up. Action time!**


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